Nowhere Land
by Juuromaru
Summary: What happens when a Princess of Heart must spend an unbearable amount of time with a Nobody? Will her Light have the power to change him or will she be consumed by the Darkness? Based during KH2.[AxelxAlice]
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Alice crouched in the branches of a tree, ignoring the urge to stretch the stiffness out of her legs. From the way the leaves were shaped like hands, she guessed she hid in a palm tree. She was not certain, but seeing as how this crazy place worked, she was fairly confident. However, it was not the tree that concerned her at the moment. It was the forest floor below her.

Darkness scuttled to and fro, leaping from bush to bush and slinking behind overly large flowers and tree stumps. From its movements alone, one could already tell that this was not natural. But when it converged into several blobs in formation on a grassy patch, one knew that it was out of this world. Well, maybe it being 'out of this world' was not so obvious here... it was Wonderland after all. But that was beside the point. The shapes grew into tiny bodies, yellow eyes emerging from their newly formed heads to take in their surroundings.

_Shadows,_ Alice's mind put a name to them. It was such a simple way to identify the creatures that were now hunched into a group together. They waved their antennae at each other and made noises similar to wind rustling through trees late at night and gurgling swamps. A form of communication, perhaps, and they were going about it with excitement.

Dread gripped at her chest suddenly as a million questions raced through her mind. Had they found something? If so, what was it? Had they discovered her hiding place? Or something more important? What if she did not make it this time? Was she moments away from losing her heart forever?

Alice closed her eyes. She let her fears have free reign of her emotions, letting her heart beat rapidly and her hands tremble slightly. But she only let this happen for a few seconds before she clamped down on the feeling, locking it up in a cage and shoving it somewhere in the back of her mind. All was at rest within her once more. Taking a deep breath, she whispered one word.

"Okay."

A soft thump sound behind them made the Heartless turn their heads. Alice had landed there, kneeling on one knee. The teenage girl had one hand on the ground, bracing herself against the leap she had just taken. The other hand, poised behind her back, wielded a halberd. Pale blond bangs, slightly askew, shielded her eyes, but her lips were set in a grim frown. Her clothes, a light blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans, were tattered and dirty. The Shadows looked at each other, eyes wider than normal and making more sounds. Then all at once, they pounced.

Not hesitating for a moment, Alice rose, swinging her weapon out in front of her in a heavy arch. It sliced through their front line easily, dissipating the first few like wisps of dark clouds. Her swing completed, she looped her halberd back over her head and, gripping it with both hands, swiftly brought it slicing down in front of her. The closest Heartless was not the luckiest, and the blade went cleanly down its middle to hit the ground beneath it. There was nothing of the creature left as Alice raised the halberd once more, resting the non-bladed end at her feet. A stray thought went through the girl's mind, glad at the fact these were creatures of magic. There was no mess once they died, no blood. They were just gone.

A brave Shadow had leapt to the front and was clinging to the bottom of Alice's weapon. She smiled at its foolishness before bringing that end of the halberd up over her head, the Heartless coming with it, and slamming it into the nearest tree. A gurgle of a squeal was the only sound it made before it, like its comrades, was gone in a puff of coal black smoke. Without pause, she jabbed down the spiked-tip of the halberd into another one.

It was at this moment the blonde realized she had been focusing on one at a time too much and not the whole group. She had taken out a fair amount of their numbers, but still many remained. And they were closing in on her slowly from all sides.

_Oh bother, they're just making this all too easy,_ she chided them inwardly. Closing her eyes, she swept her free hand before her and threw it up above her head. A giant sphere of gushing wind enveloped her, whipping her hair about wildly, but otherwise leaving her untouched. It was the Heartless surrounding her that paid the price, and the spell advance outward wildly, tearing them apart and tossing them like flimsy bits of scrap.

When Alice opened her crystalline blue eyes once more, she was alone. All the Heartless had been destroyed and those who had not, had fled. Gripping the long handle of her halberd more tightly, she let out a soft sigh.

They were getting closer, there was no denying that. Every day, they were sighted nearer to the safe zone, the place where the people she protected hid. It had only been a small group today, and they had not found anything... at least, she hoped they had not. But Alice knew the day was fast approaching where instead of just a few, there would be an army, coming to wipe out the last remains of hope on this sorry planet. She would have to be ready.

Alice looked up, shielding her eyes against the light of the setting sun. It was dimmer and less colorful than the day before. Definitely a sign that Wonderland was beginning to die. As she seated herself on a rock, she had to question - not for the first time - why she had been brought back to this strange land. Why was it all happening again? Why, after almost two years of having magically forgotten the war against the Heartless and peaceful ignorance, were these memories being forced on her once more?

And it had been painful too. All the places she had seen, the people she had met, everything that had happened, all crammed into her brain once more in the space of mere moments. She had decided at that time that the human brain was not meant to remember so much at once. But remember she did, as she was tossed into the chaos Wonderland had become. And with it all came, came the memory that she, Alice, was a Princess of Heart.

Now that meant more than just a title. And it did not just mean she was some key in human form to be jammed into a keyhole of darkness. It meant she was pure of heart. And against beings that lacked a heart, pure or otherwise, she had power. And Alice had never been a girl to let such things go to waste, especially since she had changed in the time since she had last been here. She was older, more mature... and a little less polite, even though she still said 'please' and 'thank you.' Whether it was the general flows of time that had changed her or the adventures in Wonderland and beyond that all but her subconscious had forgotten, she could not say. All that she was certain of when she found herself looking at fuzzy little mome raths beneath a sign that said "That Way" was that this time would be different. She would not get lost, she would not let herself get pushed around by the madness, and she would most assuredly not cry.

Alice absentmindedly started rubbing her thumb along the smooth surface of the blade of her halberd. The handle in itself was taller than she was, with the blade very much resembling that of an axe. At the very top was a long spike, with which not moments before she had stabbed the Shadow with. Alice had not had a hard time coming by this weapon and she had the Queen of Hearts to thank for it. It seemed the old tyrant was just as crabby as ever, even more so with the Heartless popping up once more. She had been accusing everyone and everything left and right of grand theft cardiac, ordering the immediate removal of their heads.

It was during a poorly planned rescue of a wrongly accused victim that she had received her weapon. Well, more like took by force. It had been the blade of the executioner, a silent, angry looking three of spades. She still did not quite know how she had wrestled the halberd free of the card, but that did not matter. The executioner was spineless - literally, cards do not have spines. Facing the pointed end of the halberd unarmed was as good excuse as any for the spade to turn and run.

And thus Alice had continued on for the past few weeks, rescuing the innocent from "Her Benevolent Majesty" and destroying whatever Heartless she had run into. She still did not know exactly what she was doing with her weapon, but she got by. Whatever she was doing had to be working, she had not lost her heart yet. Plus, she had seemed to develop some minor magical abilities. They were sketchy at best and did not always do what she wanted. Such as the wind she had summoned before. She had had no idea that was going to happen or even if it was going to happen. She had just had confidence and hoped that she would do more than make an idiot of herself, what with throwing her hand up in the air and leaving herself physically defenseless. But if it worked, it worked. She was no Keyblade Master, but for this planet, she would have to do.

Speaking of which, where _was_ the Almighty Master of the Key? It seemed that he should have shown up by now. Wherever darkness and the Heartless came scuttling, he was not supposed to be too far behind. And yet, it seemed that he had left this place to its extermination. Maybe Wonderland was such a small, insignificant speck in the universe that he could not waste his time on it now. Maybe...

"Why so glum, chum?" came a lilting voice from behind her, interrupting her thoughts.

Alice rolled her eyes. "What do you want, cat?"

Four paw prints appeared in the dirt behind her, walking along the forest path with no apparent owner. They marched along right up to her back, and then split to walk around her, two going to her left, the other two to the right. All the while, an incessant humming filled the air, echoing around the blonde and coming from no direction in particular. The prints on the ground came to a stop before a tree, then a purple blur leapt from their spot to a branch. When Alice looked up, a feline with purple and pink striped fur leisurely sat there. A grin that threatened to tear its face in two shown brightly down at her.

"_Cheshire_ cat," he corrected, though did not at all seem offended.

She narrowed her eyes. "I know perfectly well who you are. Why are you here?"

"Why am I here? Now that's a good question," he responded thoughtfully. "But then one must ask why any of us are here? Do we have some purpose, or are we meant to wonder aimlessly through life, causing one cat-astrophe after another?"

"I don't have time for this," Alice snapped, turning from the Cheshire Cat to leave. It only surprised her a little to find him now lying in another tree before her as if he had been there all along.

The cat said with the same laughing voice, "Of course you have time, we all have time. Otherwise, we would just stop moving all together now, wouldn't we?"

Alice grimaced. She knew she should ignore him and keep walking, but the Cheshire Cat was a very hard being to ignore. "This is pointless, you know that? Haven't you noticed all the Heartless around lately? And the Queen going crazy? Well... crazier than usual, that is... if that's possible. I mean, you'd think you'd stop sitting around, spouting riddles all day and lend me a hand."

"I'll be glad to," he stated simply. Alice felt her grip close around something furry. Raising her hand, she discovered a small, purple paw resting in it now. She looked up at the Cheshire Cat, who waved a happy little stump of an arm at her. The claws on the paws flexed with the movement as if still attached.

"This is not what I had in mind," the girl muttered.

"Of course you don't have it in your mind, it's in your hand," the feline supplied simply with a snort. The paw vanished in a puff of pink smoke and returned to its owner.

Bringing her fingers to her forehead, Alice shook her head in agitation. After having to deal with this pest for so long, she thought she would have learned by now to watch what she said around him. But no, she found herself time and again falling for his little pranks, and frankly, it was getting more annoying each time. She almost wished that the Queen would chop off his head. However, that would do little good, as the cat removed its own head from its body on a daily basis, and seemed to get some sort of sick joy out of it.

"You may like to know that you're going to be taking a trip soon," the purple cat's voice broke through Alice's thoughts once more.

She paused for a moment to think on that. While the Cheshire Cat was mad and could be extremely vexing, he had his moments where he actually said something useful. It was at these times you had to tread carefully, otherwise whatever he had to say would be gone before you could get it. _Okay, Alice old girl, think like the cat,_ she told herself. "A trip you say? What, am I going to fall flat on my face sometime soon?"

"Not that kind of trip, silly! You're going on a journey somewhere."

"Where?"

The cat's grin widened more, showing more teeth than any one mouth could possibly hold. With a shrug, he answered, "Nowhere."

_Blast it, I've already messed up, _her mind grumbled. She raised a blonde eyebrow and asked, "Is that so?"

"Is what so?" the Cheshire cat voiced blandly, seeming to have lost interest in the conversation. He now seemed more absorbed in picking in between his many teeth with the tip of his tongue.

"What you just said."

He stopped at this, his eyes lighting up when they looked at her now. "Oh, what'd I say? I do so love to hear myself talk!"

_Well, that's not too hard to believe,_ Alice mused. Out loud, she replied, "Well, as far as I understood, you told me I wasn't going anywhere."

The cat contemplated her words with an uncharacteristic frown on his snout. Somehow, he still seemed to look amused during this. He returned his gaze to her, the creepy crescent smile back. "No, I don't believe I said that."

Placing her hands on her hips, the teenager scowled up at him. "You did, that's exactly what you said."

"Those exact words exactly? Are you sure your exactness is exact?" The Cheshire Cat crooned.

Alice opened her mouth to respond, then clamped down on whatever she was about to say. This was getting no where. Gripping the shaft of her halberd tightly, she walked past the tree that contained the striped feline, hoping that the stupid thing would find someone else to torment.

"Be careful," his eerily cheerful voice came trailing behind her. "Or you may lose your heart to one who lacks." Alice halted at this, turning so quickly that her blonde hair flared out around her with the movement. The cat was gone, not so much as an echoing hum or glowing smile left of him.

An unhappy line creased Alice's lips. _What was that supposed to mean? Lose my heart to one who lacks...? Meaning... a Heartless? Am I going to die?_

"Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!" Came a shrill cry from beyond the trees. Putting her troubled thoughts to the side, the Princess of Heart turned to face where it had originated from. She knew perfectly well who it was, no one else in Wonderland held that much panic in his voice, especially when it had to do with being late.

A short, woodland creature in a tailored suit came bounding out of the brush to skid to a halt before her. With its long ears, buck teeth, fluff-ball tail, and fur the color of snow, he was appropriately named the White Rabbit. He had actually had been the first one Alice had saved from the chopping block. He had been one of the Queen's most loyal servants. However, it only seemed naturally logical to her Majesty that the only reason anyone would be so close to her was so they could attempt to snatch away her heart.

"So, Mr. White Rabbit, is there a reason you're dashing about the woods, calling my name, and making a general ruckus, attracting the attention of probably every Heartless within a two mile radius?" Alice asked calmly, looking down at the new arrival. He only came up to the height of her waist, and that included his long ears.

The White Rabbit threw himself at the ground, bowing and trembling slightly. "Oh my fur and whiskers, you're right! Forgive me, Alice, for being such a burden, even though I know I don't deserve it!"

The teenager blushed slightly as she said, "Please, you've really got to stop doing that. Go on now, get up on your feet." She had not saved his or any of the rest's lives just so she could be worshipped. She had just seen something that was terribly wrong and had had to do something about it. Besides, she was not doing all that great of a job anyway. She felt she hardly deserved thanks, much less to be bowed to. Once the rabbit was back on his large feet, she kneeled down to be eye level with him and asked more gently, "Now, what's the problem?"

He started nervously tugging at his whiskers as he responded in a nasally voice, "Well... it's just that you've been gone since yesterday. Everyone was beginning to get worried. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum started reciting a story that rhymed about how the Queen had captured you. The Dodo was trying to rally a rescue mission together, but so far he's only convinced the Mackerel. And you don't even want to know what the Mad Hatter was suggesting..."

"I imagine I wouldn't," Alice agreed with a small smile. Well, this should not have been unexpected. Leave crazy people together, you will get less than logical results. She was amazed that it had not turned out worse. "Well, I guess I should make an appearance and put their minds at ease, wouldn't you agree?" At his nod, she added, "Then go on ahead, I'll catch up."

As the last word was still leaving her lips, the White Rabbit was off. He scurried away quickly, making a lot of noise in his retreat. Shaking her head, Alice smirked, _At least he's not shouting his head off anymore_.

Before she followed, she turned to look at the branch the Cheshire Cat had occupied not long before. It still remained empty. She humphed and grumbled, "Losing my heart and going somewhere that's nowhere, indeed! Such nonsense."

A rustling in the tree above her caught the blonde's attention. The cat again? No, he was more subtle, not one to draw attention to himself that way. Alice braced her halberd before her. She bent her knees, ready to spring away at a moments notice.

A moment was not fast enough. A black form vaulted itself upon her from above with lightning speed. She hit the ground hard, her weapon flying from her hand and toppling out of reach. The girl winced in minor pain at first, then looked up at her attacker. It was a Heartless. It actually resembled the Shadow in many ways, with its jet black body and its yellow eyes with a sickly glow. However, it was bigger, more muscular, and its antennae were longer, bending behind the creature like ears and with a jagged look to them.

She attempted to kick the Heartless off of her, but it was much stronger than its small allies. Raising a clawed hand above her chest, it began to glow. She knew its target, and she struggled harder, but in vain. Its vice-like grip only crushed harder on her arm while its free hand got closer to her heart. Her mind desperately grasped out for any form of magic that she could lash out at it with, but nothing came. She thought about calling for help, but knew it would do her little good. She closed her eyes and waited for darkness to claim her.

It never did. A loud thump could be heard, then the weight on her chest vanished. She allowed herself to crack open an eyelid. There before her, a figure in a black, flaring coat was leaping and flipping around the Heartless that had attacked her. The poor creature had little time to do more than stagger in between each of the newcomer's swings and jabs with a keyblade. Alice's eyes widened in shock. Yes, it was a _keyblade._ The Princess of Heart scrambled to her feet quickly as her rescuer destroyed the dark being with one final slice through its middle. Now that the figure stood before her motionless, Alice cocked her head to one side in confusion. This was most definitely _not_ Sora.

For one thing, he was only three feet tall. And he had a _really_ big nose. And a tail. And what she thought were two big round ears, but she could not be certain for a hood covered them. Almost as if her hands had a mind of their own, they slowly reached out to touch them.

He shot out a gloved hand before her, waggling a finger at her. "Ah ah ah, no touching. But yes, they're real," he told her in a high-pitched, friendly voice.

She snatched her hands back and hugged them to her chest, staring at the creature before her once more. Was it a mouse, perhaps? A _big_ mouse? She guessed such a thing would not be unheard of in Wonderland, but still it seemed odd. The Dormouse was a normal size for a rodent, if a little pudgy. And there was still the fact that he wielded a keyblade. Where was Sora? Had the blade chosen this creature over him? Was this a ... "... a new Keyblade Master?"

"Oh golly, no! The same old one is still alive and kicking!" He assured her barely audible question. Twirling his weapon by the handle and then leaning against it like it was a walking stick, he said, "This is just a... hobby of mine."

"I see," was all Alice said, when she really did not see.

When he did not get any other response, the creature offered, "By the way, I'm Mickey Mouse." Oh, so he _was_ a mouse. At least, she could only assume, with a name like that. Still did not explain why he had a keyblade. She continued to stare blankly at him. "And your name would be?" He nudged gently.

The blonde blinked, then mentally slapped herself. She had been in Wonderland so long, she had already forgotten the manners she had been raised on. Reaching out to shake hands with him, she said, "So sorry, how very rude of me. I'm Alice."

"I know... and you're a Princess of Heart as well," the mouse responded smoothly.

Alice snatched her hand back once more. Not many people knew who or what she really was, and here a rat was reciting it as if it were as plain as the nose on her face. Suddenly she felt uncomfortable. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her still discarded halberd several yards away. Drat, it was too far for her to make a grab for it. She settled for slowly backing away while asking, "How did you...?"

"Oh, don't act like that now," he groaned, the keyblade disappearing in a flash of gold as he waved his hands at her and shook his head. Alice stopped, but still looked down at him warily. The mouse placed his fists on his hips and continued, "Do I look threatening? No. If it helps, I'm good friends with Sora, Donald and Goofy. In fact, I'm Donald's and Goofy's king."

The teenager thought on that. He did look rather harmless. And he _did_ look like the type to hang out with the duck and the dog. She relaxed her guard a little bit, hesitantly saying, "I suppose your right. It's a ... a pleasure to make your acquaintance, King, um ... King Mouse."

"Mickey is fine," the creature answered, a smile returning to his large face once more. "Now, I assume you're wondering why I'm here."

Alice's mind had been boggled down with so many other questions, that that one seemed to have never crossed her thoughts. She sheepishly answered, "Well, actually I wasn't... but now I am."

Mickey responded wryly, "The Heartless are invading again."

"Oh really, Mickey? I hadn't noticed," the teenager laughed dryly.

The corners of his mouth upturned a little more, but he otherwise continued as if Alice had not said anything. "With them comes Maleficent."

Scratching the back of her head, Alice asked in confusion, "Maleficent? Didn't Sora kill her?"

"Only her body. Her black soul still lives on in the Realm of Darkness, along with other evil creatures too stubborn to truly die. She can't return on her own, but I know... I can feel that someone, or something, is helping her come back."

"Well, that's not good, " Alice said, knowing it for the understatement it was. "Is Sora taking care of it? Where is he anyway?"

"Well, for a long while now, he's been ... asleep."

Her mouth fell slightly agape at this response. "Asleep? This hardly seems the proper time to be taking a nap!" She crossed her arms in indignation. Then with uncertainty, "Did it ever occur to you to ... wake him up?"

"It's kind of important that he awakens on his own," Mickey said slowly. "No worries, there is still plenty of time before we absolutely need him."

"Huh," was the only noise she made in answer. She knew her next question was a stupid one, being what she was, but Alice still had to ask. "So what's all this have to do with me?"

"You're a Princess of Heart." She had guessed correctly, but she waited for she was sure the King had more to say than that. Indeed he did. "If she is fully revived, you can be certain she'll be hunting down and capturing the Princesses one by one again. So, you all need to be put in hiding."

The girl crossed her arms across her chest as she thought on this. It seemed too simple. "Are you doing this for all the other Princesses?"

With a nod and a sigh, Mickey told her, "That is the hope, but you're my first concern. I hope you understand why."

And she did understand. Alice was the youngest of the Princesses, the most vulnerable. The others, most of them being _true_princesses, had castles with strong walls to hide behind. They also had their friends and princes to defend them. Even Kairi, who seemed as normal as Alice, had the Keyblade Master himself as her personal protector. But Alice had no one to help her. All she had were the handful of mad creatures in Wonderland that _she_ protected, not the other way around. She could hardly expect them to save her if that witch decided to attack. The other Princesses were lucky compared to her. Alice was not bitter, it was against her very nature to be so. But nor was she blind. Still, she stubbornly shot back, "I can take care of myself. I'll be fine here in Wonderland, she won't lay a hand on me, and I've... I've adapted. I could fight her off."

"The way you fought off that Neoshadow?" The mouse ask quietly.

_Neo...? Oh, that Heartless from a moment before that almost..._ Alice shook off the thought. "I wasn't ready, that's all. I'll be ready next time."

"You never know when she'll attack."

"Then I'll _always_ be ready," the girl snapped, knowing how silly that sounded. Even if she _could_ "always be ready," that probably would not do her any good. That Neoshadow almost had taken her heart, and it was just a minion. What hope could she ever have against Maleficent?

"Alice..." was all the King said, but for all the world sounded like a patient parent talking to a bratty little child. He waited, a serious frown on his face.

Finally, the blonde growled, "Fine. I'll at least hear what you have to say. What, do you plan to lock me in some crystal and hide me at the bottom of some dungeon somewhere?"

"Nothing so... confining," he said, smirking slightly. "Have you ever heard of Organization XIII?"

She shrugged. "Can't say that I have."

"Hmm, how to explain?" The mouse asked, looking up at the leaves above them as if his answer lay there. "Long story short. You already know that when someone gets their heart stolen, they become a Heartless. Well, if this happens to a person that is strong of heart and soul, a Nobody is created as well."

Not sure she had heard correctly, Alice enquired, "A Nobody?"

Mickey nodded again. "Yes. They are beings that can't feel emotions, are dead inside, just empty shells. Technically, they don't even exist. Some of them can not even think, they're just mindless, misshapen drones for those who control them."

Alice shivered slightly at the idea. "Who controls them?"

"Other Nobodies, the ones that can think. They look human and, despite the emptiness inside them, can act just like us. Some prefer to pretend they have feelings. These are the kind of Nobodies that run Organization XIII."

"Are they bad guys?" The teenager questioned simply.

The mouse pursed his lips in contemplation for a moment before, "Not really, no. Nor are they good either. They're just on their own side, trying to accomplish their own goals."

Again, Alice felt the need to ask a certain question a second time. "That's all fine and dandy, but what's any of this have to do with me?"

The King paused to think once more, his large ears twitching. He seemed to decide the plain answer was best. "You are going to hide among them." When Alice returned to staring blankly at him, he elaborated, "You're going to pretend to be one... to the point where they will think you are a Nobody as well."

Raising a delicate eyebrow, she stated, "Excuse me, Mickey, but don't you think a group of nonexistents will notice that I _do_ exist?"

"That, among other things, will be taken care of. I'll explain it later. Let's just say that memories don't always tell the truth."

That did not help. If anything, it only raised more questions in Alice's mind. But she decided to trust him in that she would find out later. Instead, she asked, "Well, doesn't this seem like a lot of work? Trying to blend me into this group? Why not just stick me on some other planet somewhere?"

"That was considered, but in the end rejected. You were found so easily the first time on Wonderland, and this in one of the more obscure planets. I can only assume that moving you to another planet will only possibly slow Maleficent down. No, it would be best if you could be successfully hidden among Organization XIII. How is Maleficent to know to search for you in a place that does not even truly exist?"

The last words stuck a chord within Alice. _A place that does not even truly exist? Somewhere... that's nowhere?_ "P-pardon me?" her words came a little shakily.

"Oh, did I forget to mention? The place where they reside does not exist either. It is where they kept themselves concealed until recently. They call it the World That Never Was."

_The World That Never Was ..._ Alice's mind repeated. It looked like that blasted Cheshire Cat was right again, she was literally going _nowhere_. It seemed she had little choice but to accept it now. The girl asked defiantly, "And what if I decide do go along with your plan? What happens to Wonderland? I'm sure it's plain to see that I'm fighting a losing battle at best. Without me, this planet will blink out all the sooner. But then, I'm guessing this small, isolated, backwards planet is not really that important in the long run."

"You betcha it's important!" Mickey snapped, his voice becoming angrier than it ever had the entire conversation. Alice almost stepped back in surprise. Slightly calmer now, he continued, "Every planet lost to us is another one gained to the darkness. The Heartless are already powerful enough as it is, we don't want them getting more power, even if it's in the form of the smallest planet." The mouse sighed a little before adding, "Just trust me when I say that Wonderland will be taken care of."

Alice bit her lower lip. It seemed there was a lot of trust she had to put into this stranger she had met not too long ago. Trust that his plan would work, trust that Wonderland was in safe hands, trust that he was even someone she _could_ trust. But somehow, she felt she could believe his words. As they had talked, the girl had felt a lot of her doubts melt away and that this creature really meant her no harm.

A stray thought wondered back to what the cat had said. So far, he was half right. _But what about the second part?_ She pushed that away. The feline just had an uncanny talent of guessing things, it was not like he was psychic or anything.

All that was left was to decide whether she should go or not. The girl could see many reasons to go. She could also see many reasons, along with good advice, to not go. Alice had always been known for giving herself good advice. She was better known for not taking it. "When do we leave?"

* * *

A/N : Okay, I feel like I need to do a little justification before I get very far into this story. Yes, I _do_ know that in the original _Alice in Wonderland_, she was like 7 years old. However, I find the original Alice to be quite different from Disney's version of Alice. That being said, an exact age is never given for Disney's Alice, and so I'm estimating her age around that of Sora's, maybe a little bit younger. This is because if you compare her height to that of Sora's in Kingdom Hearts 1, she's just about as tall as Sora, maybe a tiny bit shorter. So, what, Sora is like... 14 in KH1? So I'm placing Alice roughly at 14 in KH1 as well. And now, since I'm basing my story during KH2, she's around the age of 16. That is why I think I can get away with an AxelxAlice pairing... that, and it sounded like fun and I wanted to be different :D 

So, with that out of the way, what do ya think of the first chapter? I know, no Axel... yet! This was just so I could get an introduction to the story out of the way. Next chapter covers more background stuff, and so there's no Axel in it either (well... he's in the last sentence...), but from chapter 3 on it'll be just chocked full of the fun and madness I have planned for this story, woohoo! Until next time--


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to my first reviewers, your comments were very helpful and encouraging! Moonshine's Guide and LyokoDragon, thanks for pointing out that Sora was 14 in KH1, I had no idea! And even better, that means I can make Alice around 15 or 16 now, yay! I'll fix that in my A/N in ch1 as soon as I can. Sorry, CSOmega, Alice will not be running into Roxas in this story... though she will meet a few other familiar faces when the time comes... And Ri2, well, Mickey's plan in my story involves putting the seven Princesses in seven different locations that would be hard to reach, so Alice going to The World That Never Was is only one of those places. It is very likely he had another Princess in mind that he'd take back to Disney Castle, if he couldn't already sense the Maleficent weaseling her dark magic into the Cornerstone. And Maleficent did eventually find the WTNW, but Mickey doesn't know that at this time, since he can't see the future. Hopefully that makes his reasoning a little better to you. Again, thanks to my reviewers, you're wonderful! On with the chapter 2!

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Chapter 2

Sighing, Alice idly mused that it was not every day one went from running around a crazy forest to climbing an endless stairway. Or, for all appearances, it _seemed_ endless. She did not know quite how long it had been since she started up this long set of steps, but surely it must come to an end soon, right? Alice was not about to hold her breath.

She used her halberd much like a walking stick, placing the foot of it on each step ahead of her before following it by a foot. With another sigh, she thought back to her last moments in Wonderland. In answer to her question on departure time, the King had wanted to leave immediately. The blonde had only gotten to take what she had on her, which were the ragged clothes on her back and the weapon in hand. She had not gotten a chance to explain to the inhabitants of the crazy world where she was going, that they would be okay without her, or even to say good bye. The King had said it would be better this way. Alice understood his reasoning, in that there was probably so much to do and so little time to do it in. Still, that did not make the abrupt separation any easier. She silently wished for everyone's safety.

She had followed Mickey through the woods without question, seeing as he seemed to know where he was going. Alice had found that rather impressive, as she had been there for weeks now and still had no idea where she was going half the time. It was not really her fault. Wonderland had a mind of its own and was always changing its pathways and destinations randomly. Something that was there one day did not exist the next. She was still not quite sure how she had always managed to find her way back to her charges, the defenseless creatures she hid from the Heartless and the Queen. Maybe it was her will that kept their hiding place substantial while the rest of the land shifted around them. Or maybe it changed like the rest, and she just followed her heart back to them. Whatever the case, she had no reason to wonder anymore. She would not be seeing that haven or its people any time soon.

Deep in thought, Alice had almost tripped over the short mouse humanoid that she followed when he came to a stop. However, she halted herself in time as well and before she could ask questions, she saw her answer. In a small clearing before them, a train sat on some tracks that glowed a faint light blue in the moonlight. This was most certainly not like any train Alice had ever seen. It was a metallic purple with yellow-gold trimming. It had curly designs etched into its surface randomly and windows shaped like stars and crescent moons. On top sat a pointed blue hat with more celestial designs engraved on it. That it looked like it had come straight out of a child's crayon drawing picture had not really bothered her, just was cause for her to raise an eyebrow. What _had_ bothered her was the fact that this train had no conductor that she could see.

Mickey had marched onto the train, not a trace of doubt or worry showing. Alice pressed her lips together unhappily, but followed without a word. She had trusted the King so far, why stop now? Besides, being in Wonderland, a train without a conductor was most likely just as safe and normal as anything else.

Alice had barely taken her seat when the violet doors slid silently shut and the train began to move. She had glanced outside one of the star-shaped windows to see the trees parade by, slowly at first, but gaining speed by the second. It was then that the mouse had begun to talk once more. Interestingly, he had talked for a long time, but had not said much. Alice was still almost as much in the dark as when she had met him.

What she did learn was that they were on their way to a great sorcerer, one by the name of Yen Sid. He had been Mickey's teacher, and he would soon be Alice's as well. He was going to help her blend into the ranks of Organization XIII. How exactly, the King did not elaborate. What he _did_ elaborate on was rules and manners around this man. Alice had quickly lost interest.

They had been riding the train for a while when the blonde's gaze lazily directed itself towards one of the windows. Her eyes widened then and she jumped up to get a closer look.

Mickey had cut off in mid-sentence of whatever new bit of etiquette he was telling her. "What's so interesting out there?"

"The... it's... there's no ground!" Alice stuttered. Sure enough, there was not. Just the train tracks and the open, starry night sky everywhere.

"Yup," the mouse responded, clearly not amazed.

Alice was stunned silent for a few seconds. Then, not sure he had heard her correctly, she said, "But we're not on top of anything!"

"Golly, one would think you had not been stranded in Wonderland for a good part of a month," Mickey stated with a little frustration.

Frowning, the teenager had answered, "True, that place was far from normal, but at least there was always ground. Whether your feet were on it or not was a whole other matter."

After a few more minutes, Alice retook her seat on one of the train's benches. A patient Mickey continued on with his lecture, and the girl continued to listen with only half an ear. When was he going to get to more information about the Organization?

But he never did. It was not much longer before the screech of wheels coming to a halt on the rails could be heard. As the train slowed, Alice grasped tighter to her seat so as not to fall over from the momentum. When they had completely stopped, the sliding doors smoothly opened once more. She looked to Mickey and at his nod, stood and made for the new opening.

Grass softly crunched underneath the soles of her shoes as she stepped out. Looking ahead of her, Alice had found a tower. One that she may have thought odd a few months ago, but got no reaction other than a stare now. With dingy yellow bricks, it stood proud and crooked, with bends in its middle, causing it to jut at rather weird angles. Its roofs were shaped like cylinders and looked much like the hat the train wore. And also like the train, it bore windows in the shapes of five-pointed stars and moons. Alice had thought that if buildings and vehicles could be related, she would definitely see the family resemblance between Yen Sid's tower and the train.

The teenage girl had then noticed that she was alone. She turned to see what was taking Mickey so long, and gasped. The train was gone, and with it, the King. She looked around quickly, but it did her no good. All there was to see was the tower, the tracks, and the hazy, star spattered sky. Alice had cocked her head to the side slightly, and then looked back at the tower. Well, the King had got her here, like he said he would. He never mentioned that he would stay with her. Nothing for it now but to move forward. _Oh, bloody bother,_ her thoughts grumbled as she made her way towards the deep crimson doors with more stars emblazoned on them.

Upon entering, the only greeting she had received was silence. She was in a small, empty room with nothing in it besides herself and the bottom of a set of stairs. With little hesitation, she began the trek up the steps.

She had not been climbing the staircase for long when she looked over the rail. Her light blue eyes were not met with the floor she had just left, but instead a soft, yellow hazy fog that glittered softly with magic. Alice blinked at it, then muttered, "How very peculiar." Then continued on.

And it was thus that Alice found herself still on those steps, before a rather large, wood planked door. _This better be the top or I'll... I'll... keep climbing, I suppose,_ she thought with resignation. Alice was not one to throw a temper tantrum. Upon opening the door, she found no reason to throw one anyway.

The girl found herself in a small, circular room. There was a desk in the middle of it with a high back chair to accompany it. More oddly shaped windows decorated the walls, showing the same outside Alice had seen on entering. Shelves of different sizes were hanging on the walls, filled with many books of varying colors and shapes. Urns were the only other decorations and Alice did not bother to look inside them. She was fairly certain she would rather not know what they contained, if anything at all. The place gave a feeling that it was old and that dust and cobwebs should be everywhere, and yet it was spotless. Alice got the feeling that this is where the sorcerer conducted business within the tower.

The one thing that was missing was the wizard himself. Maybe he was out doing wizardly duties? She gave a secondary glance. The only way in or out was the way she had come in. So, this was where she was going to wait. Seemed as good of a place as any.

Placing her halberd to rest against the wall near the door, she wondered over to one of the bookshelves. Surely, Yen Sid would not mind if she got some reading material while she waited. She bit her lower lip as she scanned over the bindings. Finally, she decided on the dark, maroon colored one, its cover crinkled slightly with age. Alice noticed there were no words on its front, back, or spine as she flipped it around in her hand. That only made her more curious.

She cracked it open softly and began flipping through the pages. They were not as brittle or feeble as she would have thought, with how old the exterior of the book seemed. Stopping at a random page, the teenager looked over the text. It was written with such lively curves that she swore the letters skittered on their own across the page even as she read them. The words themselves were foreign to her... but that did not stop her from wanting to attempt pronouncing them. Alice opened her mouth and took in a deep breath.

Suddenly, the book was snatched from her hands. She jumped back in surprise, then saw a rather large pair of hands now snapping it shut loudly. Looking up, she found dark eyes glaring down out her.

So this was the great Yen Sid. He was tall... frighteningly tall, in fact. His form was simply draped in a flowing blue robe with long sleeves that flared out at the end. On top his head was a pointed hat exactly like the train had worn. Apparently, this man was fond of the design. He bore a long, gray beard that ended in two separate points. The look in his eyes and the set in his lips suggested that he was not in a good mood.

"Who are you, girl?" The sorcerer barked in a tone that rang with power.

"Wha... th-that is, to say... er... " Everything the King had told her about talking to this man fled from the girl's mind as she stuttered. Of course, it would have helped to actually listen in the first place. Finally, she managed to get out, "Mickey... I mean, King Mickey sent me."

Raising a scruffy eyebrow, he continued to scowl down at her. "That doesn't answer my question."

"Oh! Pardon me!" Alice responded quickly. Managing a half curtsy, which was awkward seeing as she still wore jeans, she said, "I'm Alice."

The mage was silent for a moment, still staring at her. His anger appeared to lessen, but only slightly. He seemed to be considering her and her words. "So, you're the Princess of Heart he mentioned?" He questioned, his voice softer, but still strong. "Not much to look at, are you?"

Alice bit back a rude response, and just said, "That happens when one is lost in the wilderness for a long time, Sir."

Yen Sid's head nodded in response, seeming to accept the answer. "Well, I suppose we should get started as soon as possible, shouldn't we? As I'm sure his Majesty told you, I will be training you in magic, trying to narrow down the fields, as well as train you with your weapon," he spoke as he gestured over to her halberd. The girl wondered what fields they were narrowing, but said nothing as he continued, "That will be rigorous enough as it is, but you'll also have to deal with that memory witch moving things around in your mind."

The blonde screwed her eyebrows together. _Well, that certainly doesn't sound pleasant!_ Uncertainly, she asked, "What memory witch?"

"Naminé, of course!" When the confusion did not leave Alice's eyes, the wizard grumbled with annoyance. "Don't tell me the King did not mention her." She did not tell him, just slowly shook her head no.

He let out a long sigh, "So, the apprentice is still leaving all his dirty chores behind for the master to complete, eh? Pupil of mine he may no longer be, but he has not changed a bit." Despite his words, Yen Sid let out a soft chuckle. Alice smiled, still puzzled, but felt much more at ease. It seemed the old man was not as mean as he first let on. "Come child," he muttered, "it would seem we have much to discuss."

With a gesture of his hand, he directed the girl's attention to a hallway. Alice's eyes widened. That had _not_ been here when she had first entered, she was sure of it. But there it was now, and Alice had little time to wonder at its sudden appearance. The sorcerer had begun to walk down it, the hem of his robe trailing on the floor behind him. She could see little else to do besides follow behind him, and closely.

- - - - - - - -

Silence. Simple and absolute. Then, "Naminé."

The girl looked up from her work, ocean blue eyes searching for the source of the voice. Her skin was pale, almost disturbingly so, with only a hint of the color of a fresh rose bud. Platinum blonde hair ran down past her shoulders. She wore a plain white sundress, but it suit her.

On the other side of the table she sat at, something began to flicker into existence. The flashes were so brief, she was not sure of what she was seeing first. Then the form solidified, at least in a sense. It was only an image after all, a representation of the real being who was not actually here, but far away. She could faintly see through his hazy body.

It was not hard to remember who this was. Naminé did not know many talking mice, after all. "Your Majesty," she greeted quietly.

In a muffled voice that echoed softly, he asked, "Have you started work on the Organization?"

So, no wasting time on formalities, eh? Sounded just fine to the Nobody. "I have, though it's been... difficult. Rearranging memories is no easy task in itself, but trying to keep the changes hidden in the back of their minds until the proper moment makes it all the harder."

"But you can keep it up?" The King's words held a note of concern.

"Of course," Naminé grinned to herself. "What of the girl?"

"I found her and she is where she needs to be now. I shall lead you to her."

With a nod, Naminé closed her eyes and let her consciousness wonder. At first, she felt as if she drifted aimlessly. Then she felt a tug at the edge of her mind, not forcing or demanding, but gentle. She let it guide her, like a friendly hand pulling her through a shroud of darkness. It was not long before her goal was revealed to her.

"I see her," she muttered, eyes still shut. Her voice tinged with awe, she said, "I can see why she is a Princess of Heart. She is just so... so bright... and pure."

The intangible mouse nodded his head. "So, think you can tell her everything she needs to know?"

Opening her eyes once more, she looked at Mickey and sighed. "It's not a matter of 'think' and 'can'... I'll _do_ what I _must_."

He smiled at Naminé. "I know you'll do a swell job. Well, I must be off."

She did not bother asking why so soon, the young girl knew already. Time was just too short. With a nod from her and a wave of his gloved hand back at her, the King was gone.

Naminé looked down at the table before her. It was a dull white color, much like the rest of the room around her. Upon it contained her sketchpad and some color pencils. On the paper contained the most color in the room, her most recent drawing that was yet to be complete. It would have to wait until later. Gripping the corner of the page, she flipped it back to reveal a fresh, clean sheet beneath. Naminé reached for the light blue pencil, then tapped it against her temple as she thought, concentrating on the link to the Princess of Heart that King Mickey had shown her. After a moment, the Nobody put the pencil to paper, and began to draw.

- - - - - - - -

Alice shot up out of bed, her heart racing and breathing hard. Then, once she recognized her surroundings, calmed down as she rubbed her palm against her forehead. All was okay, it was only just another nightmare. No, not a nightmare. A memory. One that was not hers.

The girl glanced over groggily to the table at the other side of the room. As usual, a steaming hot breakfast had been freshly placed upon its surface. With a soft exhale, Alice arose from the mattress and slowly made her way over to it. It had been a little over two weeks since she had come into this new lifestyle. One that was fast paced and very taxing, both physically and mentally. She came to enjoy her peaceful mornings, no matter how short they were. Soon, she would have to deal with a new day's trials.

For one thing, there was the meddling going on in her head. It had been strange the first time she had felt it. As if all of a sudden, another entity shared her skull with her. It had spoken to her... not so much as in words, but in emotions and images. She got the distinct feeling that this being meant her no harm. However, had she not been warned earlier by Yen Sid about this, she probably would have started freaking out. Or maybe just ignored it, thinking somehow she had gotten a bit of Wonderland stuck in her head when she left. But no, she knew who this was. This was Naminé.

The blonde had been surprised when Naminé had asked for her permission to build new memories inside of her. Alice could feel that the being inside her head was more than capable than doing just that without her consent, but got the feeling that the Nobody preferred her okay in the matter. It was not often Naminé's subjects knew what was going on when she did her work. Knowing this had to be done, Alice readily agreed.

And it was thus that it had all began. Alice began to see new things in her mind, faces she had never seen, places she had never been at, events she had never taken part in. They all felt so real, like they were actually her memories. But Naminé had taken special care to make sure she knew they were not. It was weird sensation at best. However, it was necessary. She needed to learn of Organization XIII, of its members, of its history, if she was going to pull off being one of them. She needed to know all this, and still know who she was.

As far as Alice understood, Naminé was reconstructing the Organization's memories as well. But unlike Alice, they were not aware of this. They did not know that soon they would being attaining a new member in their ranks. Taking a seat and reaching for her spoon, the teenager began to think on these very people that she would soon pretend to be allied to.

One by one, pictures came to her head. There was the one with the eye patch who went by the name Xigbar. He was a gunslinger and, while appearing old what with the grey streak in his hair, had a younger attitude similar to some of her classmates back on her home world. The next face that came to mind was that of a woman. She was blonde, like Alice, but much taller. Her name was... _had_ been Larxene. Sora had destroyed her about a year ago.

Alice slouched into her chair, stirring her oatmeal with a grimace. The last thought had reminded her of something. That she was going to be the only girl in a group of men, most of which appeared rather grown up. How old they exactly were, she could not be sure, since they were Nobodies... in fact, she was probably technically older than most of them. That still did not change the uneasiness she felt inside. The ones that looked the closest to her age, the ones that were still _around_ that is, had to appear at least a year or two older than her. Their names echoed in the back of her thoughts: Demyx and Axel. Maybe she would at least feel comfortable around them...

She paused in picking at her food. Had she _really_ just thought that? This was the Organization she was talking about. This was a group of people that were not exactly on the good side. She had memories inside her of the deeds they had done. A very clear image came to her of the spiky, red-headed one slaying another Organization member without hesitation... and with a smile on his face the entire time too. She was not sure which was creepier, how sadistic his look had been or the fact that it could hold so much emotion in it when Nobodies felt none.

And here she was, treating the whole situation like making friends on the first day of school. She had a strong urge to slap herself. Instead, she decided to move her thoughts else where. The first and most obvious topic that come to her was the training Yen Sid had been putting her through.

Taking one look at the old wizard, one would not think he was very skilled in the art of weaponry. He did not have to be, as Alice had discovered her first day facing him. With a wave of his wrinkled hand, several bladed objects would appear in the air and attack poor Alice all at once. It had been a surprise, but she had reacted. Thank _goodness_ she had reacted. This is how all her sessions had gone from then on. It taught her to be fast and put her agility to the test, as well as how to better use her halberd. Unfortunately, since there was nothing to attack besides the weapons themselves, she was not very good at offense, just defense. This was fine by Alice. She preferred to know how to keep her own life, not how to take other lives.

But physical attacks were not the main focus of her time spent the past few weeks, what with Yen Sid being a powerful sorcerer. No, the mage concentrated more on the training of Alice's mind than anything else, improving her skills in the magical arts. It had quickly become clear what Yen Sid had meant by "narrowing the fields" after having a long talk with him and from Naminé's memories. It appeared that Nobodies normally had an element they were attuned to. So, if Alice was going to act like a Nobody, she better damn well cast like one as well. What had to be found was what element she was in tune with. The old wizard had found it... and Alice was not happy.

Looking off to the side of her breakfast on a clear spot of the table, the teenager waved her hand. Glittering in the early morning sun that shined through the window, grains of sand began to appear. They materialized out of the air and piled up mystically, as if on their own. She continued to wiggle her fingers, the specks reacting to her movement. After a few seconds, an image drawn from the golden sand became clear. In all its simplicity and normality, it was a smiley face.

Alice cocked her head to one said, looking at her work. Then with another stir from her hand, the sand began to transform again. The grains that formed the lips moved downward and soon the face was frowning, matching her own features. She looked away and dropped her hand. The glittering flecks disappeared with the gesture.

She felt ripped off. The other members of the Organization had deadlier powers. At their call was fire and wind, ice and lightning, and much more. What did she have on her side? Dirt. _Shiny_ dirt. She had no idea why she was even attuned to such a thing. She had never seen a desert in her life and had only been to a beach twice. And yet, here she was. She had tried to argue with Yen Sid about it, but he would not hear of it. Apparently, she could control this aspect with more ease than anything else, and that would supposedly help her in the long run. Worst of all, because they were fixating on her abilities with sand, they had neglected all the other elements in the process. Well sure, she was better than she had been when she had arrived. She could light a candle with fire and freeze a glass of water, but that was nothing that would help her in battle. She was stuck with dirt.

With a grunt, she pushed her breakfast, practically untouched, away from her. She decided she was not hungry anyway. Crossing her arms, she shifted her gaze to a window in the shape of a crescent moon. Her eyes were unfocused however, as she continued to think. Being able to cast accurately with an element was only half of the package. A Nobody also had a big dose of dark powers at their disposal. Powers that allowed them to summon their weapons, float through the air, teleport short distances, and dark portal over long distances.

Summoning her halberd had actually been easier to learn than Alice had thought it would be, especially since it could be done through means other than dark powers. The only part she had had to practice was calling it to her while channeling grains of sand as well. See, all the members of the Organization made a big show of conjuring their weapons, and she had the memories to show for it. Demyx with his water gushing around him in a dome, Axel and the fire swirling around his hands, Marluxia with flower petals. So, Alice had to make sure hers was just as flashy. She felt she had done a good job.

As for the rest of the powers, they were a little more difficult. Being a Princess of Heart, Alice probably never would be able to steep herself in darkness enough - or even at all - to gain its magical benefits. Yen Sid had told her that the floating and teleporting could be mimicked as well, but were much harder to manage. From what she could grasp of teleporting, it was kind of like summoning your weapon... only instead, you summoned yourself to a location that you were not presently at. That was as far as her understanding went however, for she had yet to actually do such a thing, try as she might. She had had no luck in the floating department either. Apparently, those abilities took more practice than she could muster in the past several days. Luckily, while it seemed all members of the Organization had these powers, not all of them actually _used_ them. Just a matter of preference really, depending on how they went about intimidating their opponent. Alice would just be one of those members that chose not to glide or blink around at will.

She could not get away with the same thing for dark portals. That was something she would surely never be able to do, but had to none the less. All the Nobodies of Organization XIII did it, it was their way of getting around, of making dramatic entrances and quick exits. It may have even been considered their signature. And yet she was no closer to being able to summon a dark portal than she had been when she had first come here. Master Yen Sid had assured her that it would be taken care of, but never went into anymore detail. It was frustrating to say the least.

Stretching her arms over her head, Alice finally stood from her seat. She lazily dragged herself over to the window she had been staring blankly out of for most of the morning. When she got to it, her gaze changed and could be considered anything but blank.

From where she was, Alice would normally have a view of the courtyard before the sorcerer's tower and the tracks on which she had arrived. However, today was not going to be a normal day. Heartless were scrambling across the grassy yard, more than Alice could count on both her hands. And more were slowly appearing, either popping out of dark puffs of smoke or crawling out of what few shadows were provided. They were all making their way towards the tower, though it seemed that was not their target yet. The girl saw a small dark figure running before them and she almost mistook it for another Shadow. But then she realized the others were chasing it... and that it held a keyblade. It was the King!

Mickey ran up the short stairway that led to the entrance and pushed his way in. The heavy doors slammed shut behind him, glowing brightly in a multitude of colors and then dying after a second, appearing plain once more. A few Heartless threw themselves at it. After a blinding light and a few buzzing, crackling noises, the creatures were thrown back looking like barbecued insects. They would not be getting through anytime soon. Alice turned and ran out of her door.

The tower had a tendency to move rooms around and change paths, being in a constant state of redecoration. The blue-eyed girl originally feared getting lost. But once Yen Sid had explained to the tower that Alice was his guest, it had been more than willing to allow her access wherever she wanted to go. If it was within its walls and Alice thought of it, she would be there. Thus, it did not take her long at all to get to the wizard's den.

He was already waiting in there when she burst in, his robed back to her. "Master Yen Sid, there's-" she started, then stopped, tripping over her words as she almost tripped over her own feet. On hearing his name, the old mage had moved to the side and there stood Mickey. He had gotten here fast. Getting over her shock, she said, "I guess you already know."

"Indeed I do, child," he responded coolly. "And it seems the day has come already."

"Day? What day?" Alice asked quickly, though she already knew the answer.

Running a careful hand through his beard, he spoke thoughtfully, "The day of which we have been preparing for of course."

"Key word there: _prepared_. As in, I am hardly prepared for this day, so how can it already be here?" Her response was huffier than she intended.

"Sora has awakened," the mouse spoke up. "Darkness felt that it had to balance it out by awakening a whole mess of Heartless along with him. It won't be long before Maleficent follows." He then added quietly, "Thus, the day is here."

Alice sputtered at the two of them for a second, completely at a loss for words. Her training had only barely begun, she was hardly ready for what they asked her to do. She wanted to scream wordlessly at them, but her upbringing in proper manners held such an outburst in check. Taking her lack of answer for acceptance, Yen Sid gestured his hand over Alice's shoulder. "Step through there, you must be outfitted for your quest."

Alice looked behind her. The carpeted hall she had just ran down to get here was now gone, replaced by a taller, but much skinnier, green door. She growled, "Fine." Then turned on her heel and marched over to it. She would do as she was told for the moment, but this was far from over. A storm was brewing in her blue eyes, one that would be unleashed when she returned.

The blonde slammed the door shut behind her, glaring at nothing in particular. So blinded was she by her agitation that she did not notice a big, black object flying directly at her face until it was about a foot away from her. Then she jumped back in surprise, squeezing her eyes shut and banging into the door. However, nothing happened. Daring to a peek, she cracked open one lid. A huge bolt of black cloth was hovering in front of her, quickly unraveling itself.

"Now hold still, dear, so we can be done quickly," a motherly voice could be heard from the other side of the material.

Pushing away from the door again, Alice bent over slightly to see around the object obscuring her vision. There, in a circular room, stood three elderly women. They were all garbed in long dresses that covered every inch of their body and each had their own color: red, blue, or green. Crowning the top of their graying heads of hair were pointed hats that matched their gowns. A cape fell down each of their backs, matching their overall dress as well. Most interesting of all, at least to Alice, were the small, translucent wings that poked out of their capes. She thought she vaguely recalled Yen Sid mentioning fairies, but had never actually seen them. Had he been talking of these women? The wands in their hands suggested that this was the case.

The one clothed in blue, the shortest and rather stout looking, puffed up her cheeks angrily at Alice. "Ooooh, Flora told you not to move! Don't make me pin you to the wall, young lady!" She waved her wand threateningly at Alice.

With a small gulp, the blonde did as she was told. Soon, more black bolts were swirling around the girl, freeing up different lengths of cloth. Tape measurers floated freely around her body. She was forced to stretch out her arms at odd angles and bend and twist different ways in order to get all the measurements that were needed, and some she was sure that were not. Finally, the tools seemed to be satisfied for they all vanished and Alice thought she had a moment to relax. She thought wrong.

All the cloth that had been sized and cut earlier threw itself at her, wrapping around her arms, legs, and whatever else it could get a hold of. She nearly yelped when she saw several needles with spools come at her next, but they seemed careful not poke her. Through blurs of cloth and the flash of needles, new clothes were taking form upon her very body. She had not recalled at any time her usual outfit being taken off in the process, but was sure she did not feel it on anymore underneath the layers.

Finally, everything was taken away. The air seem unnaturally empty around Alice and she looked around in confusion for a second. Then the three winged women stepped forward, pulling and pushing her over to a mirror with big smiles on their faces.

When she saw her reflection, she had to pause to take it all in. She was in a long robe that went to her ankles, showing off boots and the bottom of some pants, all the color of the darkest of nights. A silver zipper - where had that come from? - went down the front, not zipped all the way to the bottom but well past her knees. A hood rested comfortably at her back, her pale blonde hair falling into its folds with ease. Two silver chains dangled from the neckline of her robe, swinging slightly when she moved. The robe itself was loose past her waist, flowing and rippling. Yet, it was tight around her torso, showing off what few curves that young teenager had.

Well, she now certainly did appear the part of an Organization member, and looked good doing it too.

"Don't you look absolutely marvelous, dear," the green robed fairy complimented. It was soft and warm voice. "Though... I think this would have looked much better in green."

"If it had been any other color, Fauna, it would have been blue," the short one snapped. "It matches her eyes."

The green and blue one were glaring daggers at each other, but then the red one stepped in. "Now, Fauna, Merryweather, we know it was supposed to be black, and black it is, so no point in arguing. I agree, black is such a dreary color, and while other colors are preferable, such as red, this is just the way it is."

Merryweather, the blue fairy, turned to glower up at Flora, but said nothing. Fauna seemed perfectly happy to accept that answer. Flora turned to Alice. "Now, dear, you best be along. You should not keep Master Yen Sid waiting."

Alice had been caught up in watching their minor bickering and so it took her a moment to react. "Oh... oh yes! Thank you," she said quickly. With a nod of appreciation to each of the women, she turned and walked quickly back to the door. There were still unsettled matters to be discussed with the mage and king.

Upon returning to the room, Alice heard Yen Sid asking, "And Naminé has prepared everything?"

"Yes, though everything was a little... shaky on such short notice," Mickey Mouse replied with a rather serious gaze that did not suit his features. "But now that everything is in motion, the sooner we get Alice in there, the better."

"Well, I'm sure the three good faeries are hurrying... any minute, she should..." the wizard paused as he turned to face the door and found Alice in front of it. He held out hand indicating her, his billowing blue sleeves wavering slightly. "Ah, splendid timing. Now we can start you on your way."

"But I don't want to be on my way," the girl responded determinedly. "I can fight, you taught me how. Let me stay for a little longer at least to help defend the tower."

The sorcerer smiled ever so slightly. "This old tower needs no help defending itself. In fact, as soon as you're gone, the defenses on the door will be let down and the Heartless will be free to roam as they please."

She gaped for a second. "What's the point in that?"

"You've been here for some time now, child, I would think you'd know. This tower will keep those beings of darkness lost in a maze of rooms, corridors, and stairways for ages, maybe even eternity. They will never make it to this room, much less anywhere of more importance."

The blonde thought on that, then asked, "Why don't I stay here then? It seems as safe of place as any." She knew they would have an answer for her, she knew she was only stalling, but she did not care either way.

Mickey was the one to speak up this time. "This place may be enough for a few armies of Heartless... but it won't be anywhere gosh darn near enough to fight off Maleficent."

Maleficent. Of course. She was always the answer. She sighed, _Oh well, I agreed to do it. Might as well go through with it._ She nodded.

"Well then, child, you should be off and on your way, shouldn't you?" Yen Sid asked.

She nodded again, staring at the floor. Nothing happened. Looking up, she saw the mouse and the old man staring at her expectantly. She stared back, and still nothing happened. Finally, she said, "Um... how? I can't make dark portals."

"You can't...?" The sorcerer started slowly, then rubbed his wrinkled forehead with a soft chuckle. "Forgive an old man in his age... I almost forgot." He then stepped around his desk and opened a small, white chest that sat upon it. Alice had never noticed it before. She wondered if it was part of the wizard's magic for people's eyes to slide right over it as if it were not there. Or if it was just her own short attention span that had caused her to never look twice at it. He rummaged around in it for a minute, clashes and jingles emanating from it as he did so.

Finally, he made a small noise of triumph and shut the lid, something in hand. When he held it up for better viewing, Alice saw that is was a ring. At first she thought it was the color of jet black, but upon closer inspection, realized that it actually had no color at all. It was more of a void, appearing to slope inward into darkness upon itself and attempting to suck in all color around it.

"This," he began, "is something I made in my days of youth. I thought I could find a short cut to using the powers of darkness without actually having to cloak my heart in the horrid grime that it is. While it was a success in many ways, it was a failure in more. However, it will serve our purpose now. You need only have it on your person and think of where you wish to go, and a dark portal shall take you there. If you use it only for that end, all should be well."

Alice stepped forward, still looking at the ring. She began to reach for it, then pulled back, doubt in her eyes. "Two problems. One, its way to big for my fingers, and two, Nobodies don't normally wear jewelry... at least, not as far as I know."

The old mage snapped his fingers, and a black twine appeared within the ring, making it appear like a pendant for a necklace. He tied the twine together at its ends then placed it over and around Alice's head, letting it fall to her neck. "Hide it under you clothes, child," he commanded her solemnly.

Doing as she was told, she tucked the ring underneath her robe. She felt the thing against her skin. It was ice cold and ... for lack of a better word, unsettling. She pursed her lips, then asked, "So, all I have to do is concentrate on where I need to go, and I'll be there?"

"Precisely," Yen Sid agreed. She saw the King add his consent by nodding behind the tall man.

"Well then... if that's all, I guess I'll be off to... to the World That Never Was," she recited slowly. When the others did not stop her or seem to have anymore too say, she whispered, "Right." Well, this was it.

She closed her eyes, and felt her hand twitch as she began to reach for the ring. She stopped herself. Alice did not want to get into a habit of grabbing for it, which would probably only draw attention to it. Besides, Yen Sid had said she only need to be in contact with it, not have it in hand. Keeping her hands firmly at her sides, she thought. From Naminé's directions, she knew exactly where to go. She knew what hall on what floor of the Castle That Never Was to portal too. She got a clear image in her head and directed all her energy towards it.

And then she felt it. She knew when the dark portal was emerging around her, swirling tendrils grasping at her. They felt slimy to the touch and made her skin crawl, but she did not stop. She had to get to her destination, and get to it soon. The sound of rushing, hungry wind filled her ears. Soon, all light vanished from around her and she was plunged into darkness. The teenager did not dare open her eyes, for fear of what she might see, what might derail her concentration. Alice just made sure the image in her mind stayed cleared while she felt her surroundings change, rapidly, almost violently.

And then it all just stopped. All was still around her, all was silent. Most important of all, she could feel light upon her once more. Time to see if it had worked. Her eyes slowly slid open.

Everywhere she saw white. Pure white, dull white, snow white, a dingy white, some whites greyer than others. The floor, the walls of the hall she stood in, what few doors she saw, all white. She felt drastically out of place in her black robe. But she knew she was far from out of place. This was exactly where she wanted to be.

It felt like time had stopped. There was no more rushing to get from one place to another. For the first time in weeks, there was no more people telling her what to do, how to do it, and what short time she had to do it in. She was alone and suddenly felt like she had all the time in the universe. And Alice did not like it.

She felt stirring inside her brain. Naminé had more memories for her. But this time, they were made up. She knew, for they were memories of Alice... not the Alice she had grown up as, but as the Alice of Organization XIII. And she was no longer Alice, a Princess of Heart. She was now a Nobody known simply as Lecxia.

According to the new events appearing in her mind, Lecxia had just gotten back from a mission. A very successful one at that. All she had to do now was report to Xemnas. Without a moment's hesitation, Alice's booted feet began to walk down the corridor that her memories told her she had walked down many times. She knew better.

Turning a corner, she saw two figures standing not too far off. One was hooded and so she knew not who he was. The other seemed to want to have his presence known, and thus had his hood down. And all though he had his back to her, she knew all too well who it was. Who would not, what with the spikes of vibrant red hair so proudly displayed atop his head?

* * *

A/N: Woooo, that was a longer chapter than I originally intended. I just really wanted to get this all in to one piece so that I could rush into the parts with Axel. So starting with next chapter, you'll see a lot more of him. Soooo, let's see if I can stop any questions before they start. Biggest one I think would be Alice's element: sand. Why'd I chose that, is it even considered an element? Well, I consider it a subelement. By that, I mean like I consider ice to be a subelement of water and lightning to be a subelement of fire. Thus, I see sand as a subelement of earth. One of the big things that went into my decision was that I did not want her to have a power that was already taken by another OrgXIII member. Also, I did not think she was a powerful enough magic user to have something similar to powers like Space, Time, Darkness, etc. Something more down to earth like the fire and wind elements. Thus, her sand magic was born! 

What else should I cover? Hmmm... I know in the game, Yen Sid's tower didn't change halls and rooms at will, but I figured given the chanced it would. I mean, Yen Sid's like this all powerful wizard, having a tower where the rooms stayed in one place would be so boring! Another thing, how does Mickey get in contact with Namine? Well, I was thinking along the same lines as he got in contact with Riku in Chain of Memories, he was this like holographic projection that could communicate with the boy. So however he did that, he's doing that here too. Ummmm... I think that covers all questions you may or may not have... let me know if anything is unclear, I'm always happy to explain away minor details that don't make sense, and keep rambling and rambling until you don't care about the answer anymore, you just want me to shut up.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Once again, thanks for the reviews, they're much appreciated! To answer a few questions: CSOmega, yes I did hear they are putting KH: CoM on PS2, I'm really excited about that! Although, I hear it's only in Japan :( Hopefully that'll change, 'cause I really want to play it with the pretty graphics! And Ri2: Yes, she does remember she's Alice, but she knows that everyone at the Organization thinks she's Nobody Lecxia, so that's who she has to pretend to be. And yes, Alice underrates her sand magic, but she'll learn to like it... hehe. No specifics on why Yen Sid's ring was a failure, but my idea was along the lines that there really are no shortcuts to using the dark powers, there's still a price to pay and Yen Sid had to deal with it, even with the ring. And yes, I'm thinking there are Corridors of Light, and if anyone can use them, the Keyblade Master and probably the Princess of Hearts can... who knows?

Now on to the next chapter! This is continuing directly where I left on in the last chapter, just the first bit is from Axel's point of view. So keep in mind that as far as he remembers, Lecxia has been around for a few weeks, not just a few minutes...

* * *

Chapter 3

It is true that a Nobody cannot feel. They cannot feel pride for a job well done. They cannot feel regret for those they hurt. They cannot watch a creepy clown fall down a flight of stairs and find it funny. Inside them is a black pit devoid of all emotion. They are empty husks, destined to wonder on an endless journey of nonexistance to who knows where and for what purpose.

They do remember what it is to feel. Flitting on the edge of their minds, always there yet always out of reach, are the memories of love, hate, happiness, despair, and much more. While they can no longer actually experience these feelings, they are always somewhere inside that darkness. However, beyond using them to act like they are real people, these memories do the Nobodies little good.

What a Nobody _can_ do is want. It is not that surprising really. Want is a function as simple to the body as breathing. It can be linked to emotions and often is, but never had to be. And thus, many Nobodies do in fact want. They can want to get from here to there. They can want to gain someone's trust, as well as want to stab that very self same person in the back later. They can want a heart. It was through the last want that several Nobodies banded together to form Organization Thirteen.

Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames, was among the ranks of this organization. Therefore, he was obviously a Nobody, and a complex one at that. His thoughts were never silent and his wants were many and varied, often changing randomly on the moment. His allies never knew what he was thinking or what he was going to do next. This probably would have scared them, that is, if they could feel. As the case was, all they were concerned about was that he did what he was told. And he did... just not always as his superiors would have desired.

His wants and actions would get any normal person into trouble, but being a Nobody freed him from such limitations. Even if it had not, Axel would not have cared. Much like he did not care at this very second what Xaldin was talking to him about as he turned away to spot the newest Organization member walking down the hall.

She had been with them a few weeks now, as far as he could recall. From her appearance, her somebody had been young when her heart had been stolen, in her mid-teens at best. The youth was reflected in the new Nobody's face and in her delicate blue eyes. Many had objected to her joining them within the Organization, but Xemnas had taken her in none the less. In the short time she had been here, she had been useful and had follow orders, thus showing she was not holding them back. But she had still yet proved that Organization XIII actually _needed_ her. Many of it members still remained skeptical.

Axel had not been among those to object to her presence. Far from it. As he watched the blonde girl walk down the hall, a slow smile grew on his face. Such expression of emotion was mechanical to the redhead now. He knew when he wanted to smile, when it would have maximum effect, and it would just happen without even having to think on it. It was all for appearances anyway. For, right now, he knew exactly what he wanted.

He wanted to make her unlife a living hell.

- - - - - - - -

Alice nearly stopped in her tracks. She had been mentally preparing herself for the first meeting she would have with a Nobody. That Nobody was Xemnas, the leader of this group. The Princess of Heart had been thinking about how she would talk, how she would act, even just how she would stand, all for this one meeting. She did not want all the work Yen Sid had put into her to go to waste in her first few moments in the Castle That Never Was.

What she was not prepared for was two Nobodies, neither of them Xemnas. It had almost made her trip over her own two feet. But she caught herself and kept walking towards them, her mind racing. _It's okay... it's all okay, _her mind shakily whispered. All she had to do was walk past them, nothing more. They might not even notice her if she walked quickly and quietly.

That was not the case. As if her mere thoughts alerted him to her presence, Axel turned to look directly at her. Taking a deep breath and ignoring the jittery fear in her stomach, she fought the urge to turn and run. She told herself to just keep her face blank and her walk slow and rigid. She was going to at least act like a Nobody, even if she did not feel it inside.

She could not tell who the hooded one behind Axel was, but she knew he was not Xemnas, he did not hold his posture in the same way. Who ever he was, he seemed to have decided their conversation was concluded. Blackness swirled around his robed body, encasing him rapidly. And then it all evaporated and he was gone. Alice looked from the now empty spot back to Axel. He was still staring at her, his face as empty as she hoped hers was. And she could not help taking a look of curiosity at the first Nobody she had ever seen in person.

The memories Naminé had given her did not do the man's mane of hair justice. It was as red as blood and each point of a lock seeming sharp enough to be deadly. It contrasted sharply against the black of his robe that matched her own. He was tall. Very tall. Alice guessed that if she were to stand in front of him, she would barely come up to his chest, if that. He was also slender and lithe, suggesting he could be very graceful... while he killed. Shifting her gaze directly to his face, his eyes drew her attention. They stood out with the way they were slanted and their bold outlines. The irises were colored a vivid teal and markings that resembled upside down tear drops rested below his eyes.

Had she not known what the redhead really was, she would have dared to call him handsome. But such thoughts were held in check by a subtle reminder as his face changed. His lips went from a straight, empty line to curling upward in a cold smile. Alice held back a shudder. It was that same sadistic grin she had seen on him in the memories that did not belong to her. Abruptly, she was not so interested in being alone with this man anymore.

She did not have to endure his presence for much longer however. For dark flows of energy began to wrap around him, much like they had his companion not too long before. With the sound of vacuuming air and a flash of black, he had vanished in a dark portal. Alice had the hall all to herself once more. The girl did not know what had caused the smile on the Nobody's face, nor did she think she wanted to know. Hopefully she would never have to find out.

Her mind snapped back to reality as she realized she had stopped walking. Picking up her feet once more, she continued to her destination at a more hurried walk. Not that it was necessary, the doors, luminous and white, were not that much further down the hall. It was not long at all before she was pushing her way past them.

Alice took in the small, circular room she had just entered. It was just as she remembered... or at least, now Naminé had told her to remember. It was simple and clean, much like the rest of the fortress. On the opposite wall from the door she had walked through, there was a balcony that curved out to about the same size of the room. The room itself had hardly any furnishings, for what need did Nobodies have for such little things like comfort? The only things in it were a sturdy, yet very plain white, going on grey, table and a matching chair that looked very uncomfortable. She suspected they were hardly ever used, especially since the assumed owner was at this very moment standing out on the balcony.

His back was too her, standing stiffly and looking up into the sky where a most interesting sight could be seen. What looked like a moon in the shape of a heart hung up there, taking up most of night sky. It was a golden yellow with a softly glowing halo of blue surrounding it. Kingdom Hearts. The man before Alice was watching it intently, his long silver hair trailing wildly down his robed back. He seemed very absorbed, for he had made no movement upon Alice's entry. If you told her that this man had stood in that exact spot since the beginning of time, she would not have been surprised.

The blonde hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. She had expected something to have happened at this point, almost anything in fact. But this silence made her uncertain. How was she supposed to greet the Superior, or even just get his attention? Nothing in all of her false memories covered this.

Fiddling with the chain on her robe for a second, she finally came to a decision. She marched forward, making sure her boots clacked loudly against the seemingly polished floor, announcing her presence. When she felt she had closed enough distance between them, she kneeled on one knee, placing her fists on the ground and bowing her head low. Clearing her throat, she said coolly, "Master Xemnas, I have returned."

There was another pause where neither she nor he moved. As she stared at the flawless white of the floor, she began to wonder if he was deaf. But then he turned his head slightly, looking at her out of the corner of his golden eyes and through a mask of silver bangs. His sinuous, yet emotionless voice emerged, "No need for such formalities, Lecxia."

_Drat, overdid it. Oh well, I know better for next time,_ her mind buzzed. She rose slowly once more to her feet, responding, "I'm still getting used to... everything, and am still unsure as to what's required of me and what isn't."

"Understandable," Xemnas answered before turning his head back to look out the balcony, clasping his hands behind his back. Alice wondered if the conversation was already over, if it was really that easy. But then he continued with the simple word, "Report."

The memory of what Lecxia was supposed to have done came back to her again. As it played through her head like a movie, the teenager recited, "My trip to the planet of Sherwood was more than successful. Not only were two targets that could be turned into powerful Heartless found, but I've already done it to one. Robin Hood, I think he was called. His Heartless is ready and awaiting the Key Bearer while his Nobody is being searched for to see if it will be of use to us." It was weird, seeing all this happen in her mind, seeing herself do it. She had avoided stumbling over her own words several times, knowing it all to be a lie while her thoughts told her otherwise.

"I know," Xemnas responded blandly. The girl blinked up at the back of his head. If he knew, then why did he ask? "Tell me," he went on, "why take such a risk?"

Risk? What risk? Her memories did not seem to cover anything like that. She bit her lip for a second, then answered slowly, "It seemed... necessary."

The Superior nodded at this. "With an attitude like that, you will move up quickly in the ranks, Lecxia. However, be careful you do not make enemies."

"I'll do what I must," came her solemn reply.

"That will be all. Wait until I have further use for you."

Taking that as her dismissal, Alice nodded. "Yes, S-... Xemnas," she said, stopping herself before she called him 'Sir.' She got the feeling that would be over formal as well. The teenager took a few faltering steps backwards. When the Nobody said nothing more, she finally turned and exited out of the door.

_Well that was relatively painless,_ the girl mused. She still wondered at what 'risk' Xemnas had been referring too, but whatever the case was, it was all in the past, right? And a fake one at that... she would be fine.

She unhurriedly began to walk down the hall, wondering what to do next. What did Nobodies do with their free time? She began going through all her implanted memories, doubting she would find anything there. But it was worth a shot anyway. As she did so, she failed to hear the sound of rushing air behind her that unmistakably identified a dark portal.

"Lecxia," a voice said, just a shade too icy to be a snarl. Alice did not react, still continuing her walk and debating things in her head. After a few seconds, it came again, slightly louder this time, "Do not even pretend to ignore me, Lecxia."

After another second, Alice finally halted. Oh right, Lecxia was supposed to be her name. She turned around to see who had spoken. The first thing she noticed was the huge scar in the shape of an X going right between the man's eyes. Then the next thing to jump out at her were the bright yellow irises directed at her in a none too friendly manner. The face, pale and perfect even with the scar, was framed by long, light blue hair. Like all the new faces she had seen so far since entering the castle, the girl knew exactly who this was. "Saix."

The only acknowledgement he gave her when she said his name was taking a few steps closer. His expression reminded her of a statue's. "What do you think you were doing, Lecxia?" The Nobody asked quietly.

She resisted the urge to raise her eyebrows in confusion. "I was... walking down the hall?" She attempted.

"Don't play dumb," Saix shot back, raising his voice. "I meant back on Sherwood."

"I don't know what you mean." And truly she did not.

His eyes narrowed. "The mission was just to observe and mark those with the potential for strong hearts. Nothing more." He paused, to let what he said sink in. When Alice said nothing, he continued, "And yet, you decided to disobey Xemnas' orders _and_ my orders by acting too early and turning one of our targets into a Heartless before it was planned."

"I... " the teenage girl began, then stopped. She could feel the air getting tenser by the moment. Saix's tone was not angry. She could not describe what it was, but she was almost certain that she would prefer it angry. Choosing her words carefully, she started again, "Xemnas did not have any complaints about my decision. And there was no harm done, so I don't see the problem."

"Oh, but there was harm done," he responded, his emblazoned eyes never moving from her own. She found it hard look away, as if hypnotized. "If even one of us does not do exactly as we are told, the entire Organization could crumble in upon its foundation. Thus, to discourage such acts of disrespect, punishment is dispensed. By me."

Alice heard a heavy clink sound. Finally able to tear her eyes away, she looked down. His hand, empty seconds before, now wielded a very large, sharp weapon. From handle to blade tip, the thing was easily the same height as its owner. That mixture of silvers, blues, and golds that decorated the blade caught her attention first. But then it was quickly drawn to the deadly spikes at the end of the blade that flashed dangerously as Saix dragged them along the floor.

The teenage girl jumped back and bumped into the wall. Pressing herself against it, she looked from the claymore to Saix. The man's mouth twitched, but stayed impassive. Perhaps that was this Nobody's attempt at a cruel smile.

Alice suddenly knew what 'risk' Xemnas had been talking about. She still could not find it anywhere in the memories Naminé had provided her, but she was getting the feeling that these memories were not complete. As far as she knew, she had been the only one on Sherwood. But apparently according to Saix's altered thoughts, he had been there as well and he had been in charge. But she had not played by his rules, and she _knew_ this was not a man to cross. _This isn't fair, I was not even technically there, and I'm getting punished for something I did not do!_ she shakily thought. Who even knew what had really happened. Maybe Saix had originally been the one to turn Robin Hood into a Heartless. Then Naminé had taken the opportunity to turn everything into the Nobody Lecxia's victory so she would get in good standing with Xemnas. _Won't help me much if I'm dead._

Saix was advancing towards her slowly, holding his claymore lazily behind him. However, she knew he was ready to strike at any minute. And having stupidly backed into a wall, Alice had no place to go. The hallway was a lot smaller than she had originally thought. Should she summon her weapon? No, that blade would snap her halberd like a twig. Dark portal out? Maybe... Saix probably would not be too far behind her though.

The Nobody was directly in front of her now. She knew this was it, he was going to swing. And she was too frightened to concentrate on the ring resting within her robes. No escape there. Saix shifted his grasp on the weapon and-

"Looks like you two are having fun."

Both Alice and Saix came to a total stand still. They slowly turned their heads in the direction of the new voice to see that there, not far down the hall, was Axel. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed against his chest and his head tilted forward, a few strands of his crimson hair falling into his face. Neither of them knew when he had shown up, but he rested there casually now as if he had been there all along. Alice felt relief flood her; she was happy to get help from anywhere at this point. That is, if he _was_ here to help. It certainly seemed that way, for Saix's posture clearly stated that the Flurry of Dancing Flames was an unwelcome sight.

"This has nothing to do with you, Axel," the blue-haired man hissed. His intimidating eyes now bore into the newcomer.

Unaffected, Axel just pushed himself away from the wall and faced the pair. His head was cocked to one side and his lips were spread in a sly smile. "I know. What's your point?"

"Remove your person from the area. Your presence is an unwanted disturbance," he gave as an answer.

"That was a lot of big words you just said there, Saix. How about you dumb it down for me?" Axel asked. But from the now arrogant grin on his face, it was clear he knew exactly what had been said.

Saix snapped, "Get lost."

The redhead sauntered over to join them. Both men towered over Alice now, though Axel slightly more so than the other. The blonde suddenly felt extremely short. Shaking his head, the teal-eyed Nobody responded, "Oh, I see how it is. Want to be alone with Lecxia, eh? Saix, I never knew you had it in you."

"Moron," the other Nobody spat. "She has done something most... problematic. I only want to administer discipline and-"

"Blah blah blah, yeah, whatever," Axel waved his hand dismissively. "I know already what happened, and I'm not about to let you scare away the Organization's newest and _only_ female. You know how boring this place would get? Just because she upstaged you is no reason to get huffy. I'm sure no one can ever replace that special place in Xemnas's heart for you. Wait..." He stroked his chin, contemplating his use of the word 'heart.'

Saix narrowed his saffron eyes. "I am not concerned with being 'upstaged,' as you put it. It's just a matter of-"

Cutting him off again, Axel suggested, "Ah, then you think she was trying to, as _you_ would put it, 'undermine your authority?'" He leaned in, stabbing his finger into the other man's chest, emphasizing his words with each jab. When Saix made no response, his grin broadened and he tsked, "Come now. Just look at her."

Alice barely had time to raise a blonde eyebrow before Axel wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. Swept off her feet, she stumbled into his chest. It was warm, warmer than she would have expected for a Nobody. _What the,_ was all she thought before he took her face in one of his hands, her chin in his palm and his fingers wrapped around her cheeks. The pressure was making her lips pucker a little.

"Look at this face," he cooed, shaking the subject of his sentence back and forth. "Look at how cute she is! Do you really think something so adorable and innocent looking could ever plot against you? Seriously, now."

The girl was at least thankful the Nobody's long fingers hid her cheeks, for she knew they were turning rather red. Whether it was a blush, or anger at being handled in such a way, she could not tell. Maybe a little of both.

Golden eyes traveling from Axel's challenging smile to Alice's abused face and then back, Saix was silent a moment longer. Then, "Looks can be deceiving... but I suppose I can let her off this one time. She is new after all." The Nobody shrugged as if he had not really cared one way or another. The claymore disappeared from his hand, disintegrating into a tiny glittering specks. "Axel, I must say that I never really understood you, and I hope I never will." His gaze fell upon Alice once more. His lips curled into a small sneer as he added, "Know this Lecxia: I going to be keeping a closer eye on you from now on."

_Joy_, was the only word that came to mind as the blue haired Nobody summoned up a writhing dark portal behind him. Without so much as a farewell, he turned and sunk into the opening, which was already beginning to evaporate. Soon, there was nothing left but a few skittering puffs of darkness.

Alice stared dazedly at where Saix had made his exit. It took her a second to remember that Axel still had one arm wrapped around her shoulders and the other hand gripping onto her face. She pulled herself away quickly with the realization, the Nobody letting go with no resistance. When she turned to look at him, he just held his hands up, as if in surrender. He still had that same smile on his face, as if this was all one big game to him.

The girl said nothing at first, uncertain of what exactly to do next. He was a Nobody, and a particularly vicious one at that. Naminé's memories had certainly shown Alice that, if nothing else. And yet he had helped her. Why?

Apparently, she dwelled on this thought for too long, for eventually Axel just seemed to get bored and turned to walk away. Alice hesitated a moment longer. Could she really just leave it at that? No. "Wait!" She took a few quick steps towards him with an outstretched hand. The spiky-haired boy stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. She drew her hand back to scratch behind her head and look at the ground. "Uh... thanks."

He turned back around, turquoise pupils sparkling. Placing his hands on his hips, he bent forward so he would be eye level with her. "Ah, so you _can_ speak. I was beginning to wonder!" Alice looked up from her feet to meet his eyes. She took a startled step back when he realized his face was almost directly in front of hers. Grin spreading even wider, Axel straightened up again. "Anyway, your thanks is not needed or wanted. Such praises are useless to Nobodies like us, you should know that by now. No, I require another form of payment."

"Payment?" Alice questioned, confusion coloring her voice. "Well, I don't have any munny..."

Axel frowned for a split second at her words. Then he was laughing deeply. It was very convincing to the point where Alice had to remind herself that it was an act. When he had calmed down, the redhead said, "Now that was funny. But save the humor for when you're facing off against the Keyblade Master, otherwise you're just wasting it."

"Then what...?" The teenager left her query unfinished in her bewilderment.

The Nobody raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know? And you've been enjoying this life of nonexistance for how long? Oh well, I guess it's true what they say about blondes." Alice fought the scowl that was creepy up onto her face, struggling to keep her face impassive. Axel continued, "Well, I guess I have to spell it out for you. Okay, lesson number one: Nobodies don't help, they want, got it memorized?" He tapped his index finger to his temple as he spoke. "So if they see an opportunity that'll get them something they want, they'll usually take it."

The girl's sea blue eyes hardened. "So... you stepped in because you wanted something from me?"

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner," Axel replied cheerfully, gesturing a hand out towards her as if to present her. "Ya know, you have a slow start, but you catch on quick. But yes, that's the idea. I gave you a hand, now you give me a hand. I did you a favor, now I _want_ you to do me a favor."

Alice slowly felt a pang of annoyance building within her. Sure, it was only fair that she repay him, but the fact that he outright asked for it, practically demanded it, was... was... _it's very ill mannered, that's what it is!_ she silently scolded the Nobody. She did not even know what it was he wanted, but she was pretty sure she did not want to know anyway. "I see how it is. All this, just so you could get something out of me. You didn't even ask if I wanted help, just barged on in and expected a reward, huh? Well, too bad, I'm not doing it!"

He blinked in mild surprise at her outburst, then just shrugged. Running his gloved fingered through a spike of his fiery hair, he responded, "What'd you think, it's not like I was doing it out of the kindness of my heart, ya know? Haven't got one. Oh well, guess that'll teach me to stick my neck out for you."

"Well, I am-" Alice cut herself off abruptly, clamping her mouth shut. She had been about to say that she was thankful for his help. But that was not the thing to say. Nobodies were not grateful, far from it. Instead, thinking quickly, she recovered quietly, "That is to say, I could have handled it on my own. I was in perfect control of the situation until you interfered."

Axel snorted. "Oh yeah, looked like you were real in control. Had Saix begging on his knees for mercy and everything." The girl looked away slightly in an attempt to hide her blush of embarrassment. The Nobody just shrugged again. "Whatever. I guess I'll let it slide for now."

Looking at him directly again, Alice rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "You giving me a freebie? How generous," she stated sarcastically.

"Heh, I don't do freebies," the redhead informed her with a condescending smile. He began to turn once more, a dark portal arising from the ground behind him to greet him. He did not enter it immediately however, but stood sideways, looking at Alice over his shoulder thoughtfully. "Let's just say... you owe me one."

The teenager let out a snort of her own. "Let's not."

His grin widened as he continued to stare at her. Alice just wished he would go already. But it seemed he was not quite done yet. "By the way," he said in a tone as if this were an afterthought, "just so you know, I decided to get involved because I didn't want Saix to hurt you..."

Alice's face went blank as all thoughts stopped in her head. _He what?_, were the first words to return toher mind. Had he really? Maybe... maybe he was not so bad after all. Sure, he could be slightly rude at times, and completely evil at other times. But, might he have a softer side? Could Nobodies have a softer side?

The boy's grin grew wider once more as if he read her thoughts, giving him a wolfish appearance. "You heard right, I didn't want him to hurt you... because I want to be the only one to hurt you." With that, he fully turned away from her, his robes whirling around him, and let the portal envelope him into its murky center.

The answer was 'no,' Alice decided. No, they could most definitely _not_ have softer sides.

His parting words had left her once more confused, angry, and thoroughly creeped out. But she decided not to dwell on them, as it might only lead her to paranoia. Instead, she concentrated on how she had actually found their whole conversation rather disturbing. Compared to the few other Nobodies she had met so far, Axel had been the liveliest of them all. With all the facial expressions, gestures, and even just the laughing, it surprised Alice to think that he really was just an empty shell. This all lead to one realization. If she had not known that he was a Nobody, she would have mistaken him for a real person.

- - - - - - - -

Stepping out of Betwixt and Between onto another floor of the castle, Axel came to a halt. _Now that was intriguing, to say the least,_ he mused.

This is not at all what he had expected to happen. He had assumed Lecxia would be a pushover, easy pickings, and the like. He had thought she could be effortlessly bent to his will, toying with her for a bit and then eventually breaking her. After all, she did not exactly give off the 'Watch out, I'm a badass' impression. What he had most certainly not counted on was her fighting back. He pursed his lips in contemplation. This was going to make things more difficult.

But then the not-so-uncommon smile spread across Axel's face. Yes, it was going to be more difficult... but _so_ much more interesting. And it did not matter that it would probably take more time. The Nobody was just looking for a way to waste time anyway. Besides, he had always appreciated a challenge... and it looked like he had found one.

One extra perk to the idea was the girl's personality. Or, seeing as she technically did not have one, the way she chose to react to his actions. She certainly had a flair for acting out the emotions she did not possess, one that could rival his own. He could not wait to see her reactions to what he had planned. It would at the very least be a most entertaining performance. After all, if he had not known she was a Nobody, he would have sworn she was human.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Oh what fun! So it has begun. (evyl grin) True, I said this was going to be a romance between Axel and Alice, but I never said it was going to be all nice and sweet like. No, we're in for one bumpy, chaotic ride! But don't worry, it'll happen... eventually. :D 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello once again and happy holidays! Time for answering a few questions! Ri2, my my, you're a curious one, lol. Well, them going to Sherwood is not exactly what's going to happen, but similar stuff will, stuff that's going to contradict the Nobodies' memories. What will happen then? Well, you'll just have to wait and see ;) Hoshizora, thank you very much for all your kind words, always nice to get such happy reviews:D And yes, while there won't be 5 years in between my updates, it saddens me to say that I have only one chapter after this one to post before I take a break. There is another story that I was working on before I started this one, and I took a break from that. So I felt it was time I should get back to working on that one a lil bit. So after chapter 5, it may be a little while before I update again, but trust me, it'll only be a few months at the longest. Anyhoo, on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 4

"Curiouser and curiouser," Alice muttered softly under her breath. Sure, she had seen talking flowers before, and talking insects, and even talking animals that went around wearing clothes. But somehow, she had never quite expected a talking tree. Yet there it sat in the clearing before her, smiling in an almost motherly way. And what _was_ with the smiling? All the plants the girl had met in Wonderland had always been so pushy and snappy. But this tree actually seemed nice. Did she really want to bring Luxord's attention to it?

Alice was on her first mission. Well, she was _physically_ on her first mission, seeing that as far as the rest of the Organization was concerned, she had already been on a few. They had sent her to a planet that was strangely called The New World. Her job was to search this planet for likely candidates that had strong hearts and souls. It seemed Organization XIII was doing a lot of research before any actual action took place. And so, here the girl sat, hidden in the overgrown bushes of a huge forest. After having spent so much time in the woodlands of Wonderland, this place almost seemed too normal.

So far, she had discovered what seemed to be a large Native American tribe living in it. It had surprised her to find that she understood them when they spoke, but was not about to question the odd situation. Just accept it and be happy. After having watched them for a while, it was clear one woman, probably a few years older than Alice, stood out among the rest. Thus, when she had parted from the rest of the group with a raccoon and a humming bird following closely behind her, Alice had followed as well.

The blonde was not alone in her assignment here. She was apparently still new enough to require a chaperone whenever she went to different worlds. Alice knew they were wise in their decision, even if it was not for the exact reasons they thought. Seeing as she did not really want to help the Nobodies steal hearts, if she were left alone she probably would just not do anything. But as it was, she was not alone. The one they had sent to watch her was Number Ten, Luxord.

He had been her close, personal _unwanted_ friend during the first half of the mission. But who knew where he was now. He had claimed to find other humans that had come on a boat and were investigating them. But it was just as likely, Alice assumed, that he was somewhere close by, watching her abd making sure she did as she was told. Or maybe even just as probable that he was just goofing off in another place entirely, expecting her to do all the work. She would not be surprised. But nor would she count on that. So, she did her job and looked for useful information for the Organization. It was not like they were asking her to steal the hearts directly... yet.

It was through such logic that she found herself here now, spying. It had not taken Alice long to recognize that this hazelnut skinned girl definitely had a big heart and strong soul. Still, she did not know what she had hoped to gain by tailing her movements. Certainly not the tree that she saw her conversing with at this very moment.

As for the tree itself, Alice had a little dilemma. There was no doubt in her mind that the tree was the very essence of nature and magic. If it were human, it would probably an apparent candidate for the Organization's plots. But it was not human; it was a tree - a weeping willow, to be exact. Did it have a heart? Whether it did or not, could it be turned by Organization XIII into a monster of the Heartless? If she told them, the tree would most likely be in the same danger the woman that sat before it now was in. But if she did not tell them, Alice risked getting caught for keeping information from the higher-up Nobodies. What would they do with her then? Was it worth handing over this magical entity into their malicious claws? What if-

"There you are, little Miss Lecxia. I've been looking all over for you," drawled a bored voice.

The girl jumped, then turned around to find herself face to face with Luxord. The Gambler of Fate, a man who wielded time and his deck of cards together for a strange but effective fighting style. He was a man of average height and fairly muscular build. His hair was short, barely an inch off his scalp, and had a bleached blonde color to it. A thin moustache and goatee framed his lips, giving him an almost dashing look. A smooth, white earring hung from each of his ears, both in the shape Alice knew as the symbol for the Organization. As one might guess, he was garbed in a long back robe with matching boots and pants.

Alice must have been too caught up in her indecision to hear him portal in. Well, since he was here now, it looked like she had had her question answered, whether she liked it or not. Unsure as to whether he expected a reply to his 'greeting,' Alice said slowly, "As you can see, I was here."

"So you were," he agreed. He then sighed and looked up at the branches overhead, but not really focusing on them. "The English men were fairly near useless. Most of them held corruption dear to their core. Savages, the whole lot of them. There was a few that had hearts that seemed less tainted than the others... and then this other one. He had one of the weakest hearts I've ever seen, but I'm sure he'll make one nasty little freak show of a Heartless." He thoughtfully stroked the hair that hugged his chin closely, returning his gaze to look down at Alice. "And you? Have you learned anything of interest?"

The teenager clasped her hands behind her back, twiddling her fingers nervously. This annoyed her, but at least it was not in Luxord's sight. "I've learned that the girl I was following is considered a princess among her people. And that her name is Pocahontas."

The gambler raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, that does not help us much... but where did you find this out?"

The girl cursed in her head. _Drat, he was not supposed to ask that._ Oh well. She decided to just get it over with. "A tree."

Luxord's expression did not change while they stood in silence. After a second, he finally asked, "A tree...?"

Filling in the blank he left open for her, Alice nodded, "...said so."

"A tree... said so," The Nobody repeated, not sure he had heard correctly. Alice nodded again, fighting the blush creeping up onto her face. She knew how absurd she sounded. Luxord shook his head. "You know, Lecxia, maybe you've spent too much time out here. All the... greenery could be getting to you. Now why don't you just-"

"I'm not going crazy!" Alice snapped, stamping her foot childishly. This conversation was becoming rather silly. She wished it was taking place back on Wonderland. There, she would have just had the tree tell him that it could talk. But this was a different world with different rules and she had a certain amount of secrecy to uphold. So instead, she gestured a gloved hand out to the clearing, "See for yourself. The tree has a face and can talk and said what I told you it said."

Luxord was slow about doing as she instructed. As he pushed a few leaves out of his vision, all he saw at first was the young, raven haired woman sitting before the great tree. But then the weeping willow turned its massive trunk and his eyes widened. It _did_ have a face, an elderly one with semi-feminine features. Its lips moved as well, seeming to be in deep discussion with the human. All he could do was stare at the scene.

"Now do you believe me?" The blonde hissed. The Nobody nodded, not taking his eyes off the tree. The teenager would have been glad to leave him like that forever, but she felt she had one more thing to bring to his attention. "It might be worth looking into to see if it can be turned Heartless. And if so, will a useful Nobody be created from it?" As much as she hated herself for saying it, she was pretty sure Luxord was already thinking it. If not, someone at the Organization would soon. Might as well remain in good standing with them, seeing as she hid among them.

Now he looked at her, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. He straightened up and back away from the brush that covered them, his robe rustling behind him. A smile was creeping across his face. She must have done something right, what with him going through the trouble of acting out the emotion of happiness. "An fascinating idea," he muttered. "I'm sure Xemnas will be intrigued by my find."

"By _your_ find...?" Alice questioned, eyebrows arching downward.

"Yes, I found this magical willow, of course. I think I will go tell him of it and my plans now." The girl felt annoyance filling her, what with the credit for her discovery being ripped out right from under her. Luxord just continued to grin. "As for you, stay or go, I don't really care. But if you do stay, keep your eye out for anything else of interest." He walked over to her and patted her on the head as if she were a dog. "Do be a good girl and come to me first if you find anything else."

With that, he turned from her and began to walk away. Black, smoky wisps of a portal began to form around him, increasing in numbers quickly. Soon, nothing could be seen but the darkness that enveloped him. It swirled for a bit, sickly looking sparks coming from it, then it vanished, leaving only the empty air to keep Alice company.

She snorted angrily, crossing her arms. Well that had been rude. She had basically just handed over two of the innocent inhabitants of this planet to the Organization and had nothing to show for it. The blue-eyed girl was disgusted with herself.

She was not about to stick around and do more of Luxord's dirty work. Enough harm had been done for one day. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the cold ring that rested beneath her clothes. Another second past and she was completely gone from the face of the forest planet.

- - - - - - - -

The twisting shadows parted from Alice's vision, showing the clean white halls of the Castle That Never Was. Slowly, the arms of darkness fell from her form into a black puddle at her feet. It swirled into itself, shrinking further and further until nothing was left.

Alice mused that she was getting better at the use of that ring. True, she still did not like the feel of darkness wrapping it clammy tendrils around her, but she was learning to ignore it. The girl shrugged. All that mattered is that she reached her destination, and she was certain she had.

Scanning the scene before her, Alice started to flip through the fake memories that filled her head. The girl already knew that what Naminé had provided her with was incomplete, that much was apparent from her experience with Saix earlier. But as time went on, she was finding a few more holes in what she knew of Organization XIII and the world they inhabited. Take the map Alice had in her mind of the Castle That Never Was for example. She certainly knew enough of the fortress to get where she needed to go, but she did not know _everything_. That led her to two conclusions. Either Naminé had chose to withhold information from the girl, which seemed unlikely. Or the memory witch had never had a chance herself to fully explore the corridors of the castle, thus what she had provided Alice with was all she knew. Either way, the Princess of Heart had taken it upon herself to do a little investigating.

It was true the King had never asked this of her. The only thing he had told her to do was use this as a way to hide, to keep her head low and stay out of trouble. But surely, he would not complain if she got a little more information on these Nobodies? Every little thing helped... at least, that is what she told her self. She refused to acknowledge that she was more likely satisfying her own curiosity than anything else.

The teenager now stood in a hallway that for all appearances looked just like the other halls of the castle. The door that lay before her could have been any door. It was all so nearly indistinguishable from anything else. But Alice knew exactly where she was, and she _knew_ that she had no idea what was on the other side of this doorway. That was what she aimed to find out right this second.

She had considered portaling directly into the room, but had quickly discarded that idea. Who knew what was in there? If there was a chance that whatever it may be was not friendly, she preferred not to find out while standing right in the middle of it. It seemed much more logical to stand outside and peek in instead.

Alice stepped closer to the door, then stopped. She looked both ways down the hall to make sure she was alone. The girl was not sure if what she was doing would be frowned upon by her Superiors or not, but she did not intend to find out. Leaning further into the door, she placed a delicate hand upon it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," came a taunting voice that echoed around Alice. The girl froze, but did not take back her hand. Instead she turned her head towards the sound of rushing air. A dark portal was forming a few feet away from her. The blonde thought she recognized the voice, but she hoped she was wrong as she watched the magical opening form.

She had not been wrong, she discovered as a scowl took over her face. When the darkness fled from the scene, Axel stood there, smiling rakishly down upon Alice. A hand was placed upon one hip while his other rested lazily at his side. He gave off the feeling as if he owned his hall and was casually surveying his domain.

However, Alice was not about to be intimidated. Their last meeting had left her a little shaken, but she had gotten over it quickly. She was not about to let herself be bullied around by someone that was supposedly on the same side as her. So, if he pushed, she was going to push back. Still glaring, she asked coldly, "And why not?"

"Because I don't know about you, but I enjoy staying in one piece and not being painfully ripped into tiny shreds," Axel replied happily. Alice quickly pulled her hand back from the door as if it had burned her, then scolded herself inwardly for reacting such a way. The redhead narrowed his eyes, giving him a smug air. "Smart move, Lecxia."

Getting her anger under control, the girl questioned as calmly as she could manage, "What are you doing here, Axel?"

"Oh, just thought I'd stop in and say hello." He paused to wave a hand at her before adding, "Hello!"

Keeping her temper was harder than she thought. Through gritted teeth, she stated, "Fine, hello. Now go away."

He placed his gloved hand upon his chest as if shocked. His voice dripping with hurt that he could not possibly feel, Axel sighed, "Aw, so soon? We were having such a nice conversation, I was hoping I could put it off a little longer..."

"Put _what_ off a little longer?" Alice hissed.

"Nothing big really... just telling Xemnas that you were acting suspicious. You know, sneaking around, peeking into rooms, being jumpy. I'm sure he'd be very interested to know."

Alice stiffened. _Was I THAT obvious?_ she wondered as she bit her lower lip. The girl then forced herself to relax. She had to play it off as if it were nothing. "Whatever, I just got a little lost is all, I'm not completely used to this place yet," she said with a shrug. She hoped her voice did not sound as shaky as she felt.

Waggling a finger at her, Axel berated, "For shame, Lecxia. You think you can really fool me with that flimsy excuse? No, I know exactly what you were doing... though not sure why you were doing it." He scratched his temple in thought. "Don't suppose you'll tell me? No? Oh well, not that it really matters, I'm still letting ol' Xemnas know. I'm sure there's a shiny new promotion in it for me, or something."

Losing her uncertainty immediately, Alice glared at the Nobody once more. She was beginning to see a trend here. First with Saix thinking she was trying to make him look bad, then with Luxord taking what she discovered and claiming it as his own work. Now, here Axel stood before her, ready to hand her over to the Superior for a traitor without a moment's hesitation. The girl finally snapped, "What is it with you people? Do you only care about getting ahead?"

Grinning mischievously, he responded, "No no, you see, we already got heads." The boy pointed at his own forehead as if to demonstrate the fact. "What we care about is getting _hearts._ Pfft, thought you'd know that by now."

"That's not what I meant!" The blonde resisted the strong urge to smack her own forehead. It was becoming clear quite fast that this Axel liked to twist words around and mess with you. It was quite aggravating really, and reminded Alice of someone... _Oh my,_ she thought as recognition struck, _he's like the Cheshire Cat taken human form, only ten times more dangerous._

As if in agreement, the Nobody's grin stretched into a rather evil, crescent shaped smile. The girl was almost surprised that his teeth were not long and sharp like a cat. Alice felt this was seriously a bad sign.

"On second thought, I think I won't turn you in," the teal-eyed boy stated. The girl's eyebrows rose into her bangs. _Well that wasn't so bad._ She should have known there was more. "Instead, it should be much more fun to take care of you myself."

She stared blankly at him for a silent second. "Take care of? You don't mean... you can't... you're joking, right?"

In response, he flourished his hands out to just above his waist, palms facing inward. Ribbons of darkness flowed around his arms as glowing sparks materialized within each hand. They grew larger, becoming a pair of fire balls, spinning chaotically but remaining in one place. They soon took form, becoming shining, whirring red wheels with spikes protruding out of the rims. His fingers latched onto the center of these weapons, bringing their blurring motions to a halt. Chakrams now dangerously in hand, Axel looked at her, his teal eyes flickering. "What do you think?"

Having been frozen where she stood during the display, Alice finally snapped back into reality with a soft, but sharp gasp. She began to take a step back from the redhead, but then stopped herself. _No. Just no. I will not let him bully me around like this, not now, not ever._ That thought surged through her, chasing away the last dregs of panic from her mind.

She thrust her own gloved hand out behind her, beginning to flow what little magic she knew around it. Glistening specks of sand, her aspect, began to appear and swirl around her feet in a big circle. As they grew in number, they spiraled up the girl's form, playing with the hem of her robe, and snaked around her arched back arm. There they began to build up and slowly take shape, creating an object that looked like a staff, the length slowly growing in both directions. It was a flashy trick that Yen Sid had shown her, making it look like she was materializing her halberd right out of the element of the desert. But it really was all just an illusion, a few grains of sand to draw the eye and distract why she really summoned her weapon from another magical dimension.

The sands of magic finally completed their sculpture, taking on the exact shape Alice wanted. There was a pause, then a soft rumbling as the sands shifted and moved against each other. Then they exploded apart, disintegrating back into the air which had created them and leaving Alice's real halberd in hand. The weapon had gotten a few upgrades in looks, the blade taking on a golden color with the Organization XIII symbol engraved on the flat of it. The whole thing looked more polished as well, to fit in with the other weapons of the organization. But all the changes were on the outside, while it was still the same used, second-hand halberd it originally had been.

Axel's teal eyes roved over the weapon for a second, then let out a short chuckle. "Cute toy," he said simply. Then he was dashing down the hall straight at her at a blinding speed.

Alice grit her teeth and braced her halberd in front of her body. Watching his hands, she planned to parry one of his chakrams with the shaft of her weapon and then push away the other chakram with her blade. The teenager just hoped her weapon could withstand the pressure of his attack.

The fiery haired Nobody stretched out his long arms away from his body. The knife-like points of the chakrams began to scrape along the walls that enclosed him, which made them spark sporadically. Alice winced as the air filled with the sharp, grating noises they made. Axel seemed to notice it as well, as he turned his head quickly to frown at the effects on the walls.

The girl's grip involuntarily tightened on her weapon. She knew he was only a second away from striking. One minute he was right in front of her, filling her field of view with his billowing robe and blurs of red that could only be his weapons. The next, he was- gone. Just... gone. Alice blinked, then relaxed her incredibly tensed position. She looked around, up and down the hall, but there was no sight of him. _Well, that was... odd._

"You know, it occurred to me..." came his haughty voice out of nowhere, making the teenager jump. She looked up, and there he stood, yes, _stood_... upside down... on the ceiling. His hair and outfit defied the laws of gravity just as easily as he did, resting as they normally would have if he were right-side up. His weapons were gone, leaving his hands free to tap his chin thoughtfully. Her mouth gaped in mild surprise. She knew that Nobodies had the ability to float, but she had never imagined it to this extent.

"It occurred to me," he repeated, "that there is not enough space to hold a proper battle to the death in here. I definitely heard my chakrams scraping, you did too, right?" He shifted his head up - or down, as the case may be - to look at her inquisitively. Alice just continued to stare. "I'm sure you did," he filled in for her. "We can't have scraping, now can we? Besides, Xemnas doesn't like it when I leave scorch marks on his precious white walls. So, what say you to moving this somewhere a little more roomy, somewhere a little more..." he smiled mischievously at her, "comfortable."

The Princess of Heart finally had the good sense to clamp her mouth shut, which had still been hanging open. She managed to nod in a dazed manner and ask, "Where...?"

"Good! It's settled then. As for where..." the boy stretched out his hand in front of him, and Alice's eyes followed the direction it indicated. A seething portal exploded into being down the hall, the blackness trying to eat in all that existed surrounding it. Looking at her again, Axel finished, "... the Darkness, of course." He then began to run along the ceiling, his boots making soft thuds across the surface. He leapt into the air, which for all purposes looked like he was actually falling, and flowed smoothly into opening, vanishing from sight.

Not moving at first, Alice just watched the portal. After some time passed, it became apparent that it was not going to close without her entering, with its twisted wisps curling in a way that seemed to beckon her forward. The girl sighed. She did not want to fight. Maybe if she turned around and just left now, she could just put this whole thing behind her.

Shaking her head, the blonde sighed again. No, if she did not follow, she would not be putting an end to the problem, but just running away from it. It would be best to just deal with it now and get it over with. Axel did not _really_ want to kill her anyway... she hoped. Before she could change her mind, she shut her eyes and ran forward, forcing herself to rush headlong into the darkness.

As usual, the first thing she felt was shadows clinging to her, making her skin crawl and her stomach churn. What was different however was that it did not go away. The disgusting air of a portal that made her uncomfortable both physically and mentally was still there, long after she had stepped through. In confusion, Alice hesitantly opened her eyes. Blackness swirled around her, seeming to go on forever and attempting to consume her very life at the same time. Bits of color and light were mixed in, dancing around in the void in an enchanting way. Looking down, the girl did not find ground, but more of the same. It was almost as if she hovered in the void, but she definitely felt that she was standing on _something_. She tapped her foot against the invisible floor to reassure herself. And still the ickiness of body and mind persisted within her.

_So this must be where I go in between teleporting from one place to another,_ she decided, still looking around. _I didn't know you could teleport directly into it and just stop. Wonder if only Nobodies can do it, or if I could do it too with the ring... not that I can see why I'd want to come here._ She shivered slightly, then noticed she was not alone.

Axel stood a few yards away from her, his hands resting at his sides, still weaponless. He was just staring at her with a particularly devilish look. The blue-eyed girl did not know how long he had been standing there - probably the whole time, she was just that oblivious. All she knew was that it was hard to suppress another shiver.

Swinging her halberd to a position where a sharp point was between her and him, she lowered her eyebrows angrily at him. "Summon your chakrams. Let's get this over with."

"Why the rush?" Axel questioned slyly, raising his hands as he spoke. "Don't you just want to take in the atmosphere of this place and relax?"

"I think I'll pass," the girl answered.

The redhead sighed with a look of disappointment on his face. "Straight to business, huh? You know what they say about all work and no play?"

"Kindly quit it with the small talk and call forth your weapons," Alice said quietly, taking every ounce of willpower to keep emotion out of her voice.

"Oh, about that. I decided that there would be no fun in killing you right off, you know? So here's the new deal: let's see if you can even hit me."

"Eh?" Was all she asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Nobody stretched out his arms and braced his legs apart. "You heard me. Come on, I'm an easy target. Take a free swing at me, can't be that hard, right? I'm right here."

Alice stood there staring at him, not trusting what she was hearing. It could not be as simple as Axel was making it sound. From what she had learned of him so far, even without the implanted memories, she could tell that it was _never_ simple with Axel. But there was no way of knowing unless she actually tried. Concealing a grimace, she took a step towards him.

And he was gone.

"Oops, looks like I'm over here now." Alice looked to her right to see him standing several yards away from her now in that direction. He waved cheerily at her, then disappeared once more. "Up here." Alice tilted her head back to see him floating in the void. The Nobody seemed to be laying back - on nothing, as far as the girl could tell - with his hands in behind his head, looking rather comfortable. She could faintly hear him humming to himself, as if to pass the time during a bored moment.

Unable to get up there herself, she just watched. _Well, now what?_ she pondered. Before she could figure anything out however, Axel turned his spiky head to look at her out of the corner of his aqua eyes. "Why don't ya join me up here, Lecxia? I'm sure you'd have a much better chance at landing a blow than from all the way down there."

"I- uh, like to keep my feet on the ground," she stuttered out as quickly as she could think. Not the best excuse, but it would have to do.

Quirking an eyebrow at her, Axel agilely turned in the air in a smooth motion to fully face her. "Really now? How limiting! Why do you do things the hard way? Besides, I hardly call what you're on right now the ground," he gestured downward as he spoke. Knowing already that her gaze would only meet the abyss when she looked down, Alice just continued to frown up at him. When he got no response, Axel shrugged. "Oh well, your loss. I think I'll just stay up here. Good luck hitting me, by the way, which will happen, oh, I don't know... never," he taunted.

Alice angrily narrowed her eyes at him. Something inside her snapped and she decided she had had enough. Enough of being insulted, teased, and pushed around by this being that did not even technically exist. She did not know or care how, but she was going to make it stop. And an idea formed. _Maybe the element Yen Sid taught me is not so useless after all..._

Freeing one hand from her halberd, the girl snapped her hand in the direction of Axel, fingers outstretched and concentrating. A long, thick string of sand flew from her palm towards the Nobody at lightning speed. The grains were tightly pressed together, moving all as one entity and appearing very much like a glittery rope. That was her exact intention, for within seconds, her magical creation had reached Axel's leg, looped itself around his ankle and tightened.

The redhead had only enough time to give a bemused "Huh?", before Alice pulled. Her hand constricted around the rope of sand and yanked hard while her mind reeled in the magic as well, combining their forces. Axel came plummeting down through the air, his robe rippling around him rapidly and his hair flying wildly about. He crashed into the invisible floor at Alice's feet with a loud thud.

The girl released the magic that held the sand here, watching as the grains dissipated back into nothingness. _Yes, definitely not so useless,_ she agreed with her earlier assumption. Not wasting a second with the Flurry of Dancing Flames lying in a crumpled heap before her, she took up her weapon in both hands once more and raised it high over her head. Without another thought, she squeezed her eyes shut and brought the blade down on her target with as much force as she could muster.

And no sound came. Her ears were met with complete silence. Her halberd had stopped moving and she had heard nothing, felt nothing. Her momentum had just... stopped. _Was that the sound it's supposed to make?_ she wondered, eyes still shut against the world. It did not seem right, there should have been 'thunk' noise and the friction of her weapon hitting _something_. Then again, Nobodies did not exist, so maybe they made no noise when they were killed. Alice's mind quieted at that. Then, _Oh my god... what have I done?_

Sure, Axel had been a jerk and an annoyance, but she had never really wanted to be his death. He had just made her so mad! But that was no excuse. Had she really...? She could not have. Dread built up in Alice. She had never killed anyone before. Technically, she did not know if she _still_ had not killed anyone. Gulping, she slowly opened her eyes.

There was nothing before her except the halberd she held still down into the nonexistent ground. She blinked in confusion, then felt a little relief. _If there's no body, then that's a good sign._ Then flashes of the Naminé's memories came to mind. Nobodies did not leave bodies behind, they just faded. She felt sick as she thought, _Did he fade? Did I really kill him? What have I done? What - _

"That was not very fair," a husky voice whispered, the speaker so close to Alice's left ear that his breath tickled. The girl's cheeks flushed and she jumped forward, turning and swinging the blade of her halberd up to his face - Axel's face. The point was less than an inch from his nose. The blonde looked at him and thought about the situation. She should have known that he would not die just like that, that there was something up. He would have had to been standing very close behind her and leaning over her back to have whispered in her ear like that. The very idea made her blush a little more and she shoved the sharp tip of her weapon even further towards his face.

He smiled at her in an unconcerned way. "Watch where you point that thing, someone could lose an eye."

"Sorry, I thought that was the idea," Alice sweetly replied, not moving.

"Well yeah, but you're not supposed to _succeed_," the redhead said back, laughter in his voice, as if the idea in itself were amusing. The blonde had long ago given up wondering about his emotions that were not real. If she always worried about it, then she would spend a dreadful amount of time worrying.

Snorting, the teenager asked, "Oh, is _that_ the way it's supposed to go? I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I'll try to miss more often in the future."

"No need for that," he reassured her, his grin spreading wider. Alice glared at him with distrust, and rightfully so. The Nobody easily jumped back out of reach of her halberd and threw out his hands. This time, his weapons came without a big show. There was just a flash of fiery red that made Alice blink and then his chakrams were in hand. They began to spin in hand, faster and faster, fire sprouting around the spiky rims, as he pulled his arms back behind him. "Just... hold still!" He snarled through his smirk as he threw the flaming wheels straight at her, one hand after the other.

Alice let out a small yelp. She barely had time to duck, the fire singeing her hair as it rushed past her head. Kneeling low, she turned just in time to see Axel now behind her, catching the chakrams he had just thrown. He really had to stop teleporting like that, it was unnerving! "Hey! You could have killed me," she snapped as she rose and turned to face him again.

"Sorry, I thought that was the idea," came his sarcastic answer, mocking her earlier words.

She gulped. All this time she knew he had been toying with her, but she had never really thought that he actually meant to kill her. This could be very bad. "I... I thought we were supposed to be on the same side!" She cried, trying to keep her voice steady.

The Nobody cocked his head to one said lazily. "We are. But no one ever said we had to play _nice_!" With the last word, he suddenly lunged at her.

The girl scarcely had enough time to heave her halberd in front of her, parrying Axel's chakrams. The teal-eyed boy did not pause as he snapped back his arms and started swinging at her wildly with the death wheels, each hit coming in as a blur. It was all Alice could do to block and dodge each one, stepping back slowly to keep distance between them. She briefly considered attacking back, but she could not bring herself to do it, even if she could get in safely between his serpentine swings. The remembrance of the dread she felt when she thought she had killed someone, even a Nobody, held her at bay. She was a pure hearted being. It was one thing to kill the Heartless, but this was entirely different. Axel was not even of the Darkness or the Light, he just was.

"What's the matter?" The redhead's arrogant voice snapped Alice out of her thoughts. He still attacked her in rapid succession, but it slowed down enough to allow her to concentrate on his words. "You're only defending. Afraid you'll mess up your hair, Princess?"

_How did he... ?_ Her eyes widened and she took a misstep in surprise, falling backwards and landing hard on the floor. Alice threw her weapon in front of her again to protect herself, but nothing happened. Looking up, she saw Axel just standing there, watching her with one corner of his lips upturned in a half smile. _He called me... does he know I'm a Princess of Heart?_ She thought nervously as she made no move to get up. Then she forced herself to calm down. _No, how could he? No, you're just making something out of nothing. He was just responding to the way you were acting._

"Don't call me that," Alice finally managed to say.

He raised an eyebrow at her request. "Oh? Why not, Princess?"

"Just don't!" she angrily shot back as she broadly swung her halberd at Axel's legs. The Nobody easily jumped out of the way, but now Alice was on the offensive. She leapt to her feet and started jabbing and slicing at him with the large weapon. He seemed unconcerned, as he casually sidestepped most of the attacks, almost seeming to dance out of her reach. The girl knew none of her swings would land a hit with how wildly she was going about it, but she did not care. He had annoyed her enough that she just wanted to exert herself, blow off some steam. Plus, some small part of her was hoping that this would distract the boy from his question.

She should have known it would not be that simple. "Well, that won't work," Axel said in between the blonde's cleaves. "Now you just got me even more curious. What's so wrong with that name? I think it's kind of cute." The wicked grin on his face only made his words increasingly aggravating as Alice attacked more rapidly. Continuing on in a conversational tone while dodging the deadly blade, he sighed, "So what could possibly be the matter? No, don't tell me, let me guess. The pampered life of a princess compared to your life - that of a dreary Nobody - depresses you?"

He paused for a moment to study her. Alice usually did not like being stared at and she liked it even less when _he_ stared at her. She began to turn more of her swings into thrusts, ignoring the rising hope that she would gut him. That was not a very pure and enlightened way of thinking.

"No, that's not it. Hmmmm. Would you stop that for a moment?" The redhead easily reached around the blade of the halberd and grabbed onto the handle, halting Alice in the middle of her barrage. She gasped in surprise then quickly attempted to pull it free of his grasp, but Axel held on with no appearances of a struggle what so ever. "Much better. Now, what else could it be? You were you a princess in your former time as a Somebody and calling you that brings back bad memories?"

"Would you shut up already and let go of my weapon?" Alice growled as she continued to yank backwards. She had long ago passed the point of politeness. She imagined that was common for anyone who dealt with Axel. The Nobody considered her for a moment, then he shrugged and released his grip. Alice nearly fell back once again, but managed to catch herself. Huffing from a mixture of outrage and fatigue, she now just stood there and glowered at him.

He flashed a sly grin at her. "That's not it either, but I can tell I'm getting warmer."

This had to stop. "You're not getting anything, just don't call me Princess."

He shook his head at her, a few spiky locks swaying with the motion. "No can do. You know, one would think you would be smart enough by now that by telling me not to do something, you're only encouraging me."

"Fine then, _call_ me Princess. That better?"

"Too late for reverse psychology, this is way too much fun," he responded with a small laugh. "But you're a little too moody at the moment for my tastes. I think I'll give you a some time for that little attitude of yours to cool off."

"... cool off?" Alice questioned. The point of her weapon lowered a bit in her puzzlement. "So... you're not going to kill me?"

"Whatever gave you a silly idea like that?"

With a roll of her eyes, the girl said, "Maybe the whole 'battle to the death' thing?"

Axel brushed aside her words with a wave of the hand. "Oh that, I was just messing with you. Don't you know when to take a joke?"

Tightening her fists around her halberd, the girl snapped, "So my life is a joke to you, is it?"

"That's not what I said and you know it," the redhead shot coolly back with a smirk. "Better watch that temper of yours, Princess, it could get you in trouble."

Gnashing her teeth, Alice charged at Axel now with her halberd rigidly in hand. Without so much as a flinch or bat of the eye, a dark portal flared into being around the boy. It consumed him quickly and then dissolved back into the void. The girl skid to a halt, her hair flying wildly about her as she looked around for him. But she knew she would not find him. He had not simply teleport away, he had called up a dark portal. He would not have gone through the trouble to only travel a few feet. He was gone for real this time. Alice was alone in the swirling dark.

The blonde let out a slow sigh. This abyss of Betwixt and Between was wearing away at the edges of her soul, but she was not quite ready to leave yet. She needed some time to rest, to not wear the mask of a Nobody. She had just done a horrible job of that, letting all sorts of emotions get the better of her. This trip to the Castle that Never Was was just becoming more complicated and troublesome by the moment. She was beginning to question how smart it had actually been to hide here from Maleficent. In some ways, it seemed more dangerous here, especially with that Axel involved. What bothered her most was that, underneath all the anger and confusion, she had almost felt disappointed when he had left. Had she really wanted to fight him and possibly die that much? No, that could not be it. But then... what?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"So, this is it," Alice stated quietly, her black hood muffling her voice.

The figure across from her, hood up as well, nodded, "Yup."

"Really?" A little disbelief colored her voice. "This is all it is?"

"Looks that way," he said with a shrug, which creased a few more folds into his black robe. He, of course, was a Nobody.

She bent forward for a closer look. "But it just looks so... plain."

Demyx - as the Nobody went by - just shrugged again. "No one ever said the Gods were the masters of all that is artsy. Well, actually, they probably did, but only because they did not want to get struck down by lightning."

"True. But couldn't they at least put a _little_ effort into it? This just seems lazy." Alice still felt weird talking about Gods as if they were real. But she found she had to, because they were real, at least on this planet. And she would not have thought her first act upon knowing this would be to steal some divine artifact from them.

It had been a few days since Alice's little run-in with Axel. Well, she assumed it had been a few days, from what she could tell of her few visits to other worlds. It was nearly impossible to keep track of time on the World That Never Was. _Probably runs on Time That Never Was or some nonsense like that,_ the teenager thought sarcastically. The time had passed rather uneventfully, with most of it either spent in the castle or going on missions with other members where she did nothing. This was good, she had to keep telling herself, it hopefully kept her safe and unnoticed. However, she could not help the underlying feeling of boredom, nor the wish that _something_ interesting would happen. Not to go so far as wanting another Organization Nobody to attack her, but some sort of thing more active than these chores the Superior sent her on.

At least this time she had more to do than just watch while a higher ranking member did all the work. She had been sent to the planet of Olympus Coliseum. Here, the Greek Gods and Goddesses roamed around free as if they were as natural and normal as sliced bread. And Alice supposed they were, despite it still seeming weird to her.

A Nobody had to babysit her here too, like on the other worlds. The girl wondered if she would be with the Organization long enough for Xemnas to trust her on some of her own missions, she really did not enjoy the company of most of the other members. But this Demyx was not so bad actually.

Underneath the hood that shrouded his face, he had bright blue eyes that matched Alice's own. His spiked, dirty blonde hair was formed somewhere between a mohawk and a mullet with a few stray bangs falling down his forehead. He was a little taller than Alice and had a slim figure. As for his personality, the girl found she preferred his compared to the others in the Organization. He was less aggressive and more fun to be around. Had she known him back on her home world, it would not surprise her if they had become friends. She had long ago given up on trying to figure out why these people who lacked hearts had such vibrant emotions, she just began to assume that's just the way things were. Maybe it was lingering traces offeelings from their memories or they were just really good actors, but whatever it was, Alice just went with it.

As for the task at hand, Alice was very happy that they had something to do besides the scouting she had gotten accustomed to. Their target now rested before them on an ancient looking pedestal: the Olympus Stone. Not long ago, they had portaled into Mount Olympus, the misty, cloudy domain of the Gods and snuck around looking for this exact thing. Alice had wondered how they had managed that, seeing as deities were supposed to be all-knowing and all-seeing. Perhaps they knew Demyx and Alice were there, they just did not care.

That would be a mistake, since they had found the magical stone they were looking for. Their mission was to steal it. Alice did not know why, but she did not ask questions and just enjoyed the fact that she was actually doing something different. Besides, being the pure creature of the light she was, this was her first and probably only chance to steal something and not get in trouble for it. After all, she was only doing as King Mickey had asked her: doing what she must to stay hidden within Organization XIII. And she always enjoyed new experiences.

"So, now what? Do we just take it?" Alice asked with uncertainty.

"I guess so," came Demyx's response.

The teenager pursed her lips, which could not be seen beneath her hood. "You sound so certain. One would think there would be some form of mystical protection on this stone, being what it is."

"Maybe Zeus thinks no one is stupid enough to actually try and steal it," the Nobody guessed, scratching the back of his head. "Or maybe there is one, it's just invisible."

"That could be true," Alice agreed with a nod. "Something we couldn't see, like a barrier... or a curse that could be horribly disfiguring and unbearably painful. So, you want to be the one to pick it up?"

"No way, I'm not doing it. You do it."

Pointing an inquiring finger at herself, Alice questioned, "Me? Why should I do it? You do it!"

"You're the lackey, Lecxia, so it's your job to pick it up," Demyx gestured in her direction.

Rolling her eyes, the girl said back, "I'm not a lackey, much less _your_ lackey. I'm just newer at this than you. Since you're one in the command of this mission, I think _you_ should do it."

His head tilted to one side. "Oh, is that how you want to play it? Fine then, as the leader, I place _you_ in charge. Now it's your job to pick it up."

Alice was silent for a second, then, "Can you do that?"

"I don't know, but it sounded good."

The blonde muttered, "If you say so." Her companion crossed his arms and she could not see it, but she felt the childish scowl he aimed at her. _It's like I'm bickering with a brother or something,_ she mused, a chuckle filling her mind. "Okay, fine, if I'm calling the shots now, here's the plan: how about we both pick it up? That way if it is cursed, maybe it'll get confused and short circuit or something."

"Greeeeeat idea, that makes sense in the way that it doesn't," Demyx snapped.

"Oh, shush, let's just get this over with," she shot back, placing her fists on her hips.

With a shake of the head, the Nobody said, "Oh, why did I ever let you be the boss?"

"Too late for regrets now, just do it."

He gave a slow, resigned nod and a drawn out "Fine."

Smiling, she said, "Okay, on the count of three... one... two... three!"

Neither of them made a move to get the Olympus Stone. The lightning bolt emblazoned on its side just shined up at them in an almost mocking way.

"Cheater, you didn't pick it up," the Melodious Nocturne grumbled.

Alice spat, "You didn't either!"

"Touché."

"This is no time for fancy, foreign words. Okay, for real this time, one-"

Demyx cut her off, "Screw that, I'll just get it." Before another thing could be said or done, his hand shot out and he picked up the stone. They both froze, waiting for unpleasant things to happen to him. A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Alice was certain she heard a low sigh of relief come from within Demyx's hood.

Then the crystalline, blue sky darkened much too quickly to be natural with heavy, black clouds. Thunder rumbled through the air and flashes of jagged lightning began to fall around them. The wisps of mist around them that had seemed soothing and friendly moments before now took on the hardened, dingy grey of the clouds above. Beyond the roar of the thunder, an irritating high-pitched and echoing sound could be heard.

Demyx clapped his hands over his ears as Alice did the same. "Okay, strike the curse. They just have some sort of crazy, magical, divine as all heck and extremely annoying alarm system," Demyx shouted to be heard over all the noise.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Alice cried back cynically.

"All for portalling out of here, raise your hand. Actually, let's just skip straight to the portalling part," the Nobody suggested. Alice nodded her agreement, then began to concentrate on her ring, still nestled secretly within her robe. She felt her mind begin to reach for the flows of darkness, a process that almost came naturally to her now. But then something happened that she was not used to. That something was nothing.

She blinked as it sunk in that she was still among the raging clouds of Mount Olympus. Closing her eyes, she tried again. And still nothing. It was like someone had placed a closed door between her and the power. A metal door with several locks, bolts, and chains. Opening her eyes once more, she saw that Demyx had also not disappeared.

"Can't summon a dark portal either?" Alice asked, raising her voice once more.

"No duh! It's not like I'm just sticking around for the peaceful sounds and cheerful surroundings."

The Princess of Heart wanted to give a nasty answer back, but held her tongue. Instead, she chose to ignore it. "Guess they have some sort of anti-magic up to go along with the alarm."

"No time to figure out why it's not working, we just need to go and go _fast!_" Without waiting for a response, Demyx grabbed one of Alice's wrists and started to run. Holding back a noise of surprise, she stumbled into a run after him. It was either that or risk having her arm ripped from its socket.

They dashed through the angry, storming scene, not once looking back. It might have slowed them down too much. Unfortunately, they had no idea where they were going. Having used a portal to enter earlier, they had no idea where the exit was. Maybe there was no real exit. After all, did Gods really need doors? Alice decided she would ponder that question when she was safer.

It was not long at all before Demyx came to a skidding halt, kicking up small puffs around his feet. Alice quickly did the same, which was difficult, considering the clouds they were on had very little friction. In the end, she was sure it was only the Nobody's tight grip still on her wrist that stopped her. She did not ask why they were no longer moving, the answer was quite clearly before them. The clouds ended with a very long drop to the earth below.

Panting a little, Alice looked around. She still saw no way out of this place, beyond what they had just found, and she was not too keen on taking that way. "So, now we... " she trailed off, because she really did not know what they were supposed to do now.

Luckily, Demyx spoke up. "Now _you_ take the Olympus stone and get out of here." He shoved the object into her gloved hands.

"Hey, you put me in charge, and-"

"And I'm taking it back, so will you just do it?" He shouted sharply.

Something in the tone of his voice told her he was not in the mood to argue. So, instead she asked, "What about you?"

"I'm going to distract them while you get away, then we'll meet up later in the Underworld," he explained, looking over his shoulder to make sure they were still alone.

"Just one problem with that: I can't portal, remember?" the girl pointed out.

The Nobody turned to look at her, then looked over the edge of the cloud. "Well sure, you can't here. But I'm sure you could down there, or at least, _on the way_ down there."

She followed his gaze with a frown. "That's a long way down... you don't mean - ACK!" she let out a cry of surprise when she felt a shove from behind. She took a step forward to try to stabilize herself, but seeing as there was nothing there, she completely lost her footing and began to plummet. It was only by chance that she remembered to still keep a tight hold on the Olympus Stone. She turned in the air as she fell to look up, wind rushing past her. She saw Demyx's hooded head peaking at from the top of the clouds.

"Don't forget to portal now, we don't want you going splat!" He shouted, then was gone.

Well, Alice had wanted a more interesting job, but this was not what she quite had in mind. In fact, the only thing that was going through her mind at the moment was, _Damn, damn, damn, portal, portal, portal... to where? Where do I portal?!? Demyx said- he said UNDERWORLD! ... How do I get there? Oh god, oh god, oh god... okay, just concentrate on landing on the ground, on this planet in one, unbroken piece. That's it, yes, that's it - close your eyes and GO! _

Her golden blonde hair was whipping around her face, having escaped when her hood was pushed back from the gushing wind as she tumbled through the air. Her robes flapped wildly about her, threatening to rip free from her body. Squeezing her eyes shut and gripping the stone tightly against her body, she thought harder then she ever had on that ring. Swirls of blackness devoured her body and she was gone.

- - - - - - - -

Axel strode lazily down one of the many tunnels of the Underworld. His eyes took in each new object of his surroundings with a lack of interest. Who could blame him? The dark intestines of this world were hardly exciting. There were some blue walls and rocks here, some mist there, and some little glowing balls of light. The latter did make good target practice, but that had gotten old fast. The things just spawned more of themselves, so there was really no point to it anyway.

The Nobody had come here looking for Lecxia. He knew that she and Demyx had been recently assigned to this planet, so here he had came. It was not like he had anything better to do. Or did he? He could not remember. _Xemnas may have sent me to do something a while ago... if so, what was it?_ The redhead squinted his eyes in thought, then just shrugged. _Oh well, it could not have been all that important._

The reason he had followed Lecxia to this Olympus Coliseum was because he wanted some time to spy on her. The few times he had gotten to have the 'joy' of her company, he had noticed something was... off about her. He could not quite place his finger on what it was, but he knew it was there. He had come to the decision that maybe watching her from a distance would reveal what precisely was bugging him about her.

The problem with that idea was that he actually had to _find_ her. He had been wondering around for a while now and had yet to locate her. If she or the Melodious Nocturne were anywhere nearby, he would have sensed them, but he sensed no such thing. Of course, this was a pretty big place and it was not as if his range was limitless. He had set to walking around in the random hope that they would just show up. So much for that idea.

_Maybe I should give up,_ he considered, closing his eyes in resignation. This was just taking him way too long and he could always just hunt her down some other time when she would be more easily found.

The boy was about to make his exit when he stopped himself. What was...? _That_ was what he had been waiting for! He turned and took a few quick steps down the hall, pressing himself against a wall. He glanced around the corner into a chamber he had just left moments before.

Lecxia now stood there, shaking the last wisps of dark tendrils out of her long hair. Her large blue eyes look around with curiosity, taking in the gloomy cave the dark portal had delivered her to. After a second, she said rather loudly, "Finally!"

Axel could not agree more. Why she was saying it, he could not be sure, but he did not really care anyway. But he had _finally_ found Lecxia after searching for far too long. And with her only a few feet away, he was not so sure he could restrain himself to just staying back and observing. Things would get so much more interesting if he stepped in and found new ways to darken that young, pale face with annoyance. It was quickly becoming his most favorite activity.

He was about to make his presence known when he heard the scuffling of rocks behind him. Frowning, the Nobody backed into the shadows and pulled up his hood, making him practically invisible. Staying perfectly still, he listened for more noises. Quickly, the sounds of running feet became clear and they were getting closer. _Who...?_

A boy with brown, pointy hair and a determined look on his face darted into the tunnel. In his hand, he held a large weapon that was shaped like a key. Following close behind were two animal-like companions. Axel knew very well who this group was, everyone in the Organization did. The trio dashed past the Nobody without taking any notice of him at all and made there way towards the room that Lecxia was in now.

An evil smirk played across the redhead's lips. _This should be good._

- - - - - - - -

It had seemed to have taken simply _forever_ for Alice to find this place. The teenager had indeed landed intact when she had used the darkness to pluck herself from the air and place her safely on the ground. After she had caught her breath and her heart stopped racing, one look at her first destination had easily told her she was not in the Underworld. It was kind of hard to miss, what with the sunshine, flowers, and happy mythical creatures prancing about. This, of course, had been no problem for she had expected it. She then reasoned the next most logical plan of action would be to just start dark portalling about until she found the place. She would surely find it sooner or later, right? After running her hands down her rumpled robe a couple times and placing the Olympus Stone in her pocket, she set off to do just that.

It was around about the twenty-third - or was it the thirty-third? - place that she began to doubt her theory. Letting loose an agitated sigh, she kept herself from portalling out again. It was time to think a little deeper into the situation. _Where does one find an Underworld?_ A few moments passed before it came it her, and when it did, she could have hit herself for being so blind. _UNDER the WORLD, of course._

The blond had looked down at the ground beneath her feet then. She doubtfully twisted one foot deeper into the dirt. Seemed pretty solid to her. But she was going to do it anyway. She just hoped she did not end up burying herself alive, which would not be very delightful. Directing some more energy into the ring, she was gone once again.

When she had arrived in the murky burrows of the Underworld, it took a moment for it to register that she was in the right place. Then she was not able to hold back an outcry of "Finally!", which she immediately regretted. She was sure the land of the dead was not one of the nicest places in the universe. What if some evil, creepy crawly, goes-bump-in-the-night type of thing had heard her? She tried not to think about what could be lurking beyond her sight in the gloom of this place.

To keep her mind off of it, she began to wonder if Demyx were already here. It would not surprise her, given how long it had taken her to get here. He was probably wondering around this very second wondering what had happened to his teammate. That is, _if_ he had even gotten away from Mount Olympus. She had not liked the idea of leaving him behind to play decoy while she got away. But it was not like she could say 'no' or that she had been worried about it. Nobodies were not supposed to be able to worry about each other. So it would have been bad for her cover if she had showed any such signs. However, she hoped her decision had not come at any cost to Demyx. She shuddered at the thought of being cornered and caught by an angry God.

The sounds of something pattering across the ground pulled Alice out of her thoughts. She turned towards the passageway it was coming from, ready to summon her halberd in case she needed to defend herself. Three figures emerged, sliding to a stop when they saw her. Alice blinked, at first not believing her eyes. But she had to, no one else that mess of brown hair and those bright, inquiring eyes. It was him alright... maybe older, but it was definitely the Keyblade Master. If the appearance had not given it away, his weapon and his two unique friends, Donald and Goofy, would have. She smiled and murmured to herself, "Sora."

"The Organization!" The boy shouted. He began to wield his Keyblade in both hands and took on an aggressive stance.

Alice frowned, then looked down at herself. Oh, that stupid black robe. She looked back up at him and asked while pinching a bit of the fabric, "What, you mean this? No, it's not what it looks like, it's-"

"You can't fool me! You and your friend are up to something, why are you here?" Sora waved the tip of his blade in Alice's direction. Donald poised his wand, ready to send a spell her way, and Goofy was prepared to charge with his shield any moment.

"I'm not trying to fool you! I- wait, my friend?"

Sora curtly nodded. "Yeah, he ran past me earlier, shouting 'run away' or something like that."

Alice was relieved at that. That sounded like Demyx alright. It was good to hear that he had gotten away, even though he was a Nobody and even though Sora did not seem to like the Organization. That was no surprise, what with them trying to turn people into Heartless. What the girl wondered about was how Sora had found out about the Nobodies. Mickey had made it sound like they were very obscure and even the Keyblade Master did not know about them. Looks like that had changed. Alice began to walk towards him as she spoke, "Listen, I-"

"Stay back, unless you're looking for a fight!" He snapped at her, keeping his weapon firmly between them.

Alice scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. "What? But... Sora, don't you recognize me?"

The brunette's face went blank momentarily at that. The Keyblade finally lowered a little as he responded, "No... am I supposed to?"

She wanted to shout, _Yes! Yes, you dummy, you're supposed to recognize a Princess of Heart!_ However, she decided against that. The Underworld was a place where the walls could literally have ears, she was sure. She did not want to say anything that would put her in danger. She would just have to hope that Sora would remember. "Maybe... didn't King M- didn't his Majesty tell you about me? Or anything about... about this?" It was hard not to go into details while trying to help him along.

"You know the King?" Goofy asked from behind his shield, giving her an unsure look.

"I've met him," the girl answered curtly.

A scratchy, hard to understand voice that could only be Donald's shot back, "Don't listen to her, she's only trying to confuse us." He had a glare on his feathery features to match his tone.

This did not make sense. How come Mickey had not told them where she was hiding? If he had, they should have recognized her by now. Had he not had time? Or was it for her protection, considering the less people that knew about her situation, the better? But still, one would think the Keyblade Master should have known. _Oh bother, it's not my place to question the King, I guess._ Sighing, she said, "Never mind, I guess I was mistaken. But I want you to know that you and I are on the same side."

A distrustful laugh escaped the duck's bill, but Sora continued to stare at her uncertainly. "The same side...?"

"I can't say more, just trust me on that one." Turning slightly away from the group, Alice wondered, _Now what? Should I just go and look for Demyx?_ She wished there was a way to make this whole thing not just a big waste of time. Then an idea began to form in her mind. Maybe there _was_ a way. She turned back to them and declared, "Sora, you have to let me beat you!"

"What?" The boy exclaimed, straightening up from the absurd request, at the same time as Goofy's "Huh?" and Donald's "I knew it!"

Waving her hands to calm them, she said quickly, "Not _really_ beat you, just _pretend_ to beat you."

"You want to... pretend to beat me up?" Sora asked slowly.

"No no no, not 'beat' you up, but _beat_ you, as in win against you in a fight, a fake fight, but make it look good."

He ran his fingers through his spiky hair as he thought. "So you want me to lose to you in a bogus fight because...?"

"Because that'll raise my standing in the Organization, which will help me and maybe help you one day." It all made perfect sense in her mind. It was like she had discovered the last time she had seen Axel, all the Nobodies were just trying to get ahead. If it got around that Lecxia had challenged the Keyblade Master and won, that would give her an advantage in the Thirteenth Order. Axel had been right, she had been acting suspicious. So this would help her erase some of her clumsy mistakes. With Xemnas's increased trust in her, maybe a few of the Organization's secrets would be revealed to her, and those in turn could help Sora.

"If you say so. But couldn't we, you know, _not_ fight and just say we did? Wouldn't that work just as well?" Sora asked.

Alice shook her head. "Then there's no proof that way."

"Well, what proof would you have if we had a phony fight? It's not like I'm going to let you take me prisoner."

The girl opened her mouth to give a response, then snapped it shut when she realized she had none. _Drat, I did not think of that. What good is the fight if there's no one here to see it? Could I say he just ran away? No, I still don't have any evidence. Oh, double drat._ In a defeated groan, she finally said, "Okay, scratch that idea. In fact, just forget we ran into each other, this thing has just been entirely pointless." She turned to leave without another word, but did not get very far.

"You don't think we'll let the likes of you just walk away, do you?" Donald squawked, waddling a few steps forward and waving his wand frantically. A few sparks shot free of it.

The girl turned back, surprise apparent on her face. "What? I already told you that I'm not you're enemy."

The animal spat, "A likely story!"

Rolling her eyes, the blonde growled, "Oh, come on, I didn't even do anything to you. Just let me leave!"

"No way! I'm gonna-"

"Donald! Stop that," Sora said as he stepped forward as well, grabbing the duck's shoulders to keep him back. The shorter being just glared back up at the boy while Goofy stayed back, looking from Alice to Donald with indecision. "She says she doesn't want to hurt us and I..." he looked up at her again, his sparkling eyes scrutinizing her for a second. He then nodded and smiled slightly, "...and I trust her."

Alice sent back a relieved grin of her own. Leave it to Sora to not doubt her, even though she had not given him any real reason to do so. Maybe the Light within his heart recognized the Light within hers and he naturally felt that she could be trusted. Or maybe it was just Sora's naive way to see the good in anyone he could. Whatever the case, she just said softly, "Thanks, Sora."

Donald was hanging his mouth open in disbelief. "You're not really going to just going to let her be, are you?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do," the teenage boy answered, a now confident grin on his face. "We've stopped here for too long and we still have some business to take care of with Hades. Let's go!" He then ran by into another tunnel with his Keyblade resting over one shoulder, nodding his goodbye at Alice as he went. Goofy trotted after, cheerful once more and waving to the girl. Donald was the last to go and at first, she thought he was going to just ignore her completely. But right before he disappeared into the misty dark, he turned to shoot another scowl at Alice. He pointed his feathered fingers at his eyes, then at her. Somehow, she got the impression that he was going to be keeping his eyes on her. With that, he left.

- - - - - - - -

_Well, that was unexpected._ Leaning back against the hard, stone wall, Axel thought on what he had just witnessed. Of all the things that could have happened, he certainly never would have thought of what had actually taken place.

How did Lecxia know the Keyblade Master and his two cohorts? Sure, all the members of Organization XIII knew _of_ him, but this was different. In the little time that Lecxia had been a Nobody, she had never met Sora. And she joined them after Roxas had left, so she could not have seen the resemblance there. And yet, she had spoken to the boy as if they were old friends. Maybe she had known him when she was a Somebody? Or something else...? And why had she seemed so sad when he had not recognize her? True, he himself was among the Nobodies that liked to put a little flavor into his nonexistent emotions, but Lecxia had not seemed like she was just acting. The redhead could almost have felt the waves of disappointment coming from the blonde all the way back here, and they had felt quite real.

What about this King they had mentioned? Who was he and what did he have to do with anything? Perhaps Axel had not been too far off when he had guessed that Lecxia was a princess in her past life and the king they had spoken of was her father. But something still seemed off with that idea.

Then there was that whole pretend fight thing. What had been the deal with that? Why did she not have a real fight? That would have been so much simpler and made more sense. He doubted it was because Lecxia wanted to avoid breaking a nail. But maybe that would have gotten in the way of her whole 'I'm on the same side' thing. That was another thing he wondered about. True, the Nobodies were all for the Wielder of the Keyblade freeing hearts and remaking Kingdom Hearts. But somehow, Axel thought that the fact that they turned people into Heartless so Sora would have more to fight kind of made them enemies. Just a little.

So many questions. And with Lecxia alone once again, the Nobody felt it was time to get some answers. Before he could take a step however, he stopped with a muffled curse. Another Nobody was coming, he could feel it. After a second, he knew exactly who it was too. _I'm so going to set Demyx on fire later._

- - - - - - - -

"There you are!" Alice jumped at the sudden sound of the disembodied voice. A roiling, obsidian cocoon formed near her. She backed up, allowing room for Demyx to step out of the dark portal, the doorway crumpling behind him. "I've been looking all over for you, what happened? Did you get lost?"

"Actually, that's exactly what I did," she responded in a matter of fact tone.

The blond boy tilted his head slightly to the side. "Really? How'd you manage that? I mean, it's the _Underworld_,the directions are right there in the title."

"Yeah, I figured that out... eventually... after going to a ton of wrong places." Her embarrassment caused her to speak more quietly and quickly with each word. She then added loudly, "So, you successfully escaped the wrath of the Gods?"

"Well, you don't see them here, do you?"

"That's not saying much. How do you know they did not follow you down here and are waiting for the right moment to smite you with their almighty vengeance?" The girl let her eyes trail away to the darker corners of the cave, as if expecting any one of the religious icons to jump out at her any moment. She could almost swear she felt a particularly vicious pair of eyes staring at her from somewhere.

The Nobody made a brush off gesture with a sweep of his hand. "Relax, there's nothing to worry about. I ditched them by hiding behind a rainbow."

Distracted for the moment, Alice asked curiously, "There are rainbows up there? And you can hide behind them?"

"Apparently." He shrugged while brushing a few stray strands of hair out of his face that refused to defy gravity like the others. They immediately fell back into place, but he paid them no mind. "You still got the Olympus Stone, right?"

The girl reached deep into her pocket and after a moment, pulled the object out with a triumphant, "Yup!"

"Excellent!" He took it from her and eyed it over. Without looking up at her, he said, "Our job is fairly simple at this point. Just keep it and us in a safe place where we won't be found. What more perfect place then right under their noses in the Underworld? They'll never think to look for us here. Well, maybe Hades will sense us, but I'm sure he has better, more evil things to do with his time then care about us."

Alice nodded her agreement. "Yeah, besides, I think Hades is too distracted by Sora at the moment to notice-"

Demyx's attention was so suddenly and directly focused on her that Alice lost her train of thought. "Woah, woah, wait, Sora is here? As in - as in, _the_ Keyblade Master is here, right on the Dark God of Hell's frigging doorstep?"

_Oh well, blast it all,_ Alice grumbled in her mind. She had not meant to let that slip and so easily as well. While she was supposed to be following along with the Nobodies of Organization XIII, that did not mean she wanted to keep them up to date on Sora And Crew's movements. Oh well, too late now. "Yeah, I kind of ran into him."

"Did anything happen? Did you fight? Did he-" he paused as he seemed to realize he was talking rather loudly. He glanced around quickly, then lowered his voice to barely a whisper, "Did he find out about the stone?"

"No no, he doesn't know about it. Or, at least, if he does, he did not find out about it from me. He did not bring it up either, so..." she just trailed off, lifting one shoulder in a half shrug.

"Okay... okay, good, that's very good," Demyx stated quickly, though it sounded more like he was assuring himself rather than his companion. "Now, hold on a second, be quiet, I need some time to think," he snapped up a hand quickly in front of her face, as if to interrupt anything she was about to say. Oddly enough, the girl had not been about to say anything, so found it very easy to keep her mouth shut. The Nobody closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in contemplation, and after a moment, spoke up, "So, here's the new plan-"

"We need a new plan? But the old plan was _so_ brilliant."

"Shaddup. The new plan is while I do my best to keep this rock hidden, you go update Xemnas on all this. Tell him the Keyblade Master is here."

Alice fought the urge to scrunch up her face in a rather unattractive pout. Demyx was the only one she got along with so far since she had taken on her new identity. She did not want to retreat to the Castle That Never Was to report to the Superior. She found him creepy even for a Nobody, and that was saying a lot. "But don't you think it would be better for both of us to be there if you bumped into Sora, rather than being alone?"

"Well, that'll be for Xemnas to decide, won't it?" At Alice's blank stare, he continued, "Really, it's no prob if I can't avoid him. I have notes written down in preparation for exactly that." He patted his pocket with free hand.

"You may have to face off against the Keyblade Master, and all you have to show for it is paper?" Alice asked slowly, crossing her arms over her chest. The boy nodded his head and she sighed, "Right. Good luck with that one."

"Thanks. I'll need it," he answered with resignation while he hid the Olympus Stone somewhere within his robe. Pulling up his hood once more, he said, "Well, I'm off. You should be too."

"I will, when I'm good and ready," she retorted, probably with more bite than she intended. Demyx did not seem to notice as he vanished into a dark portal.

Making a face, the girl just stood there looking around, swinging her arms back and forth at her sides. She was in no hurry to leave. But she really could not think of any excuse to stay either. And there was only so long she could swing her arms to pass the time. Grumbling inwardly, she began to form an image of the World That Never Was in her mind.

"Leaving so soon?"

Alice turned suddenly to the sound of the new voice, recognizing it immediately. Axel was at the entrance to one of the side tunnels, leaning one shoulder against the wall. The top half of him was covered in shadows, but she knew perfectly well that it was him. No one else had that arrogant posture or those teal eyes that glinted out at her from the darkness.

_This is just dandy,_ Alice thought without enthusiasm. Just what she needed, another session of the redhead's weird brand of bullying. She was in no mood for it, she should have just left then. In fact, the blonde did not know why exactly she did not. It was not like anything was stopping her. But instead, she stood her ground, rooted to the spot and just watched him with a wary expression.

"You know how hard it is to get you alone? I mean, it's almost like I need to make an appointment with you or something," the Nobody said blandly from his comfortable position.

"If that were the case, my schedule would always be too busy to fit you in anywhere," she answered unfazed.

The slender boy pushed himself away from his support and walked out into the light that seemed to come from no where in particular. He had the usual mysterious, cat-like smile playing gently across his features. It was not reassuring. Placing a hand upon his chest, he replied, "Ouch. You wound me, Lecxia, right here. Too bad there's nothing there to hurt."

"Pity," came her quiet response. She felt herself bristling in agitation and she did not know exactly why. He had not exactly done anything yet to make her angry. Maybe it was just getting so his mere presence was upsetting enough all on its own. "What are you doing here?"

His eyes glittered a little mischievously as he began to walk towards her, making Alice uncomfortable. Without knowing it, she backed away slowly from him. Smile widening, Axel repeated, "What am I doing here? Why, I'm having a pleasant conversation with you of course."

He was still advancing on her, almost as if he were a predator lazily stalking up to its prey. The girl still kept moving backwards, keeping the distance between them. She snapped hastily, "That's not what I meant."

"Oh, but it is what you asked," he pointed out coolly.

"That's beside the- " she stopped with a grunt as she backed into one of the walls of the cavern. She could go no further. The redhead was now directly before her, barely inches from her. Alice did not like being cornered, not one bit. Attempting to push past him, she mumbled, "Look, I don't have time for your games, so just-"

"Oh, you want to play games, do you? Very well," Axel grabbed the girl's wrists and slammed her back against the wall. She barely managed to stifle a cry, but not from pain. Him crashing her into the wall had hardly been violent, just rough. But the very fact that he had done such a thing had surprised her.

The Nobody now had her pinned to the wall with him holding her arms spread out to each side of her. He was leaning in towards her ever so slowly, their faces getting closer together. She could not help noticing the wicked gleam in his aqua eyes that was quite unsettling. The warmth from his body was also brought to her attention, which was not very surprising since they were all but completely touching now. Part of her wondered if all Nobodies had body heat or if it was just Axel's natural affinity with fire that made him that way. Then another part of her, the majority part of her, was angrily wondering why she was thinking about that at a time like this. Honestly, if her hands were free, she would have slapped herself.

She then became very aware of how rapidly her heart was beating. Surely, that was only from fear, right? The heat she could feel rushing to her cheeks might argue otherwise, but she ignored that. She just hoped her loud thumping of her heart would not draw Axel's attention, because that would be a dead give away that she was not a Nobody.

He was very close now, their noses lightly brushing each other. She glared definitely up at him, daring him to try anything. The redhead's eyelids lowers and his grin widened, then he shifted his head to the side of hers and positioned his mouth near her ear. When he spoke, it was a breathy whisper that made the sensitive skin of her ear tingle. "I know your little secret."

It took a second for what he said to register, then her eyes widen and she was pushing all her weight against him in a frenzy. He disappeared in the blink of an eye, the weight of his body pressed on hers instantly gone. She stumbled forward from the change of pressure, balancing herself as she listened to his maniacal laughter fill the room. _Why is he laughing?! He's not supposed to even have a sense of humor!_ she thought in a rage, he cheeks red now for a very different reason than they were before. _Does he... does he really know? That I'm a Princess of Heart? How could he? There's no way, just no POSSIBLE way!_

"You don't know anything!" She shouted to the empty room that still echoed with his artificial mirth.

"Not entirely true," came his voice from a definite direction. She turned quickly on a heel to see him once more resting casually against the wall. "I know there is _something_ to know, just not what it is."

She clenched and unclenched her fists in frustration, which was not visible since the long sleeves of her robe hid her hands. What he said brought her a little relief, but it was not enough. She had to stop this in its tracks now. "You don't know _anything_," she repeated icily, "because there is nothing to know."

The redhead waved a finger at her in reproof. "Ah ah ah, no lying, Princess. I overheard you talking to the Master of the Keyblade. Tsh, fraternizing with the enemy, now are we? And I must say, while I didn't completely follow it, it was very interesting."

Grinding her teeth together, the girl felt very stupid. And here she thought she had been being so careful when she had spoke to Sora. But no, careful would have been to not open her big mouth at all to the brunette. After a pause in which Axel obviously expected a response, she finally asked in a hushed voice, "So what now? Are you going to hand me over to Xemnas? I'm sure you have more then enough proof to condemn me now."

"Why would I go and do an idiotic thing like that?" the tall boy questioned unexpectedly. Alice quirked an eyebrow at him as he continued, "Knowing him, he wouldn't ask questions, just destroy you on the spot. But me, I'd like to find out what's going on with the little mystery that is you. And believe me, I will find out."

The Princess of Heart cringed on the inside at the idea of what would happen if he found out. The result would be anything but good. But outwardly, she just snorted and looked away as she stated, "I wouldn't be surprised."

Smirking, the Flurry of Dancing flames seemed to be satisfied with that response. He stretched out a hand and a dark portal appeared at his finger tips, almost as if he had ripped into space itself to bring it up. "Well, obviously, I have some research to go do. But before I go," he cocked his head to one side in a sly manner, "I don't suppose you want to make this all extremely easy on me and just tell me?"

"And give you the satisfaction of making everything that simple? Yeah right," she answered with a wry grin. She then realized that almost sounded playful and wondered what was wrong with her.

He shot back his own smirk, though it was more devilish than hers. "Didn't think so. In fact, I would have been disappointed if you had." He then sank into the portal, that last thing to fall out of view being a few spikes of his crimson hair.

Alone once more, the girl tiredly sighed. That had been... odd. Not just the conversation itself, but some of her own reactions at different points. A small blush began to play across her features at the remembrance of how close he had been to her. She was not letting herself get... no, she could not be so foolish, not with a Nobody! She would not even let the thought cross her mind, the very thing being complete nonsense. One thing at least was for certain. Before she departed, the blond resolved to smack herself repeatedly until she was back into her senses.

* * *

A/N: Woohoo! That was a fun chapter just cause I liked writing Demyx, I liked making him and Alice bicker like siblings, it was cute :D Anyhoo, so, like I said last chapter, I am now taking a break on this story! I need to get back to work on my other fanfic, _I'm the One you Love to Hate,_ because fans of that are waiting on me. If you want to check it out, its a modern version of _Pride and Prejudice_ in a college setting. If you haven't read the book, that's okay, you can just think of it as a funny teen romance story! Anyway, just thought I would point it out as something to read while you waiting for me to get back to this story. So far, I've written over half of the new chapters I want to put up for it, and it'll probably take another month. When I go on a break there, then I'll get back to work on this story! So really, it should hopefully only take a few months before I update again. Hope you can wait that long, I have still marvelous plans for Alice and Axel, mwahahaha. 


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